When sulfur burns, it forms sulfur dioxide (SO2). Its chemical reaction is S + O2 →

SO2.

If we know the mass of S and O2 entering this reaction, what can we say about the mass of SO2?

Responses

The mass of SO2 will be equal to the mass of S.
The mass of SO 2 will be equal to the mass of S.

The mass of SO2 will be equal to the mass of S minus the mass of O2.
The mass of SO 2 will be equal to the mass of S minus the mass of O 2.

The mass of SO2 will be equal to the mass of O2.
The mass of SO 2 will be equal to the mass of O 2 .

The mass of SO2 will be equal to the sum of the mass of S and O2.

1 answer

The correct response is:

The mass of SO2 will be equal to the sum of the mass of S and O2.

According to the law of conservation of mass, the total mass of the reactants (S and O2) will be equal to the total mass of the products (SO2) in a chemical reaction. Therefore, the mass of SO2 produced will be the sum of the masses of sulfur and oxygen that entered the reaction.