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?

Question

The atoms of the reactants are regrouped during the reaction.
Some atoms gain mass after the reaction.
Atoms of Na are destroyed during the reaction.
There are more H atoms after the reaction.

Answer 1

The correct statement about the reaction is:

The atoms of the reactants are regrouped during the reaction.

In a chemical reaction, the atoms of the reactants rearrange themselves to form new products. The other statements are incorrect because:

• Some atoms gain mass after the reaction: In a chemical reaction, mass is conserved. The total mass of the reactants equals the total mass of the products.
• Atoms of Na are destroyed during the reaction: Atoms are neither created nor destroyed in a chemical reaction; they are simply rearranged.
• There are more H atoms after the reaction: In this balanced equation, the number of hydrogen atoms before and after the reaction remains the same, as there are 5 hydrogen atoms on each side of the equation.

Overall, the key principle is that atoms are conserved and merely rearranged in a chemical reaction.