The scientist used the Law of Conservation of Mass, which says that matter cannot be created or destroyed in a chemical reaction. This means that the total weight of the starting materials (copper and sulfur) will be the same as the weight of the products (copper sulfide) after the reaction. So, when the scientist added 12.7 grams of copper and 3.2 grams of sulfur, the total weight was 15.9 grams, which is the expected weight of copper sulfide.
Use the chemical equation to complete the activity. (Make it to where an 4th grader can understand you)
2Cu+S→Cu2S
Copper (Cu) reacts with sulfur (S) to form copper sulfide as shown in the equation. A scientist adds 12.7 grams of Cu to 3.2 grams of S to start the reaction. In this reaction, all of the copper and all of the sulfur react. Before running the experiment, the scientist expected the products of the reaction will be a total of 15.9 grams of copper sulfide (Cu2S). In 1–2 sentences, explain the law that the scientist used to predict that the product of the reaction would be 15.9 grams of copper sulfide.
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