Use the chemical reaction to answer the question. NaHCO3 + HC2H3O2 -- NaC2H3O2 + H2O +CO2

A student mixes baking soda (NaHCO3) and acetic acid (HC2H3O2) to produce a chemical reaction shown. Which statement about the reaction is correct? A. some atoms gain mass after the reaction. B. there are more H atoms after the reaction. C. the atoms of the reactants are regrouped during the reaction. D. atoms of Na are destroyed during the reaction.

1 answer

The correct statement about the reaction is:

C. the atoms of the reactants are regrouped during the reaction.

In a chemical reaction, atoms are neither created nor destroyed (law of conservation of mass); they are simply rearranged to form new substances. This means that while the specific arrangement of atoms changes, the total number of each type of atom remains the same before and after the reaction. Therefore, statements A, B, and D are incorrect.