Conservation of Matter - Key Concepts

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What is the Law of Conservation of Matter?

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The Law of Conservation of Matter states that matter cannot be created or destroyed in a chemical reaction; it can only change forms.

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What does it mean for a chemical equation to be balanced?

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A balanced chemical equation has the same number of each type of atom on both sides of the equation, indicating that matter is conserved.

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How can you tell if a chemical equation is balanced?

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Count the number of atoms of each element on both sides of the equation. If they are equal, the equation is balanced.

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What is a reactant in a chemical reaction?

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A reactant is a substance that undergoes change during a chemical reaction, found on the left side of the equation.

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What is a product in a chemical reaction?

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A product is a substance that is formed as a result of a chemical reaction, found on the right side of the equation.

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What is the significance of coefficients in a chemical equation?

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Coefficients indicate the number of molecules or moles of a substance involved in the reaction, helping to balance the equation.

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What does it mean if a chemical equation is not balanced?

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If a chemical equation is not balanced, it means that the number of atoms of at least one element is different on each side, violating the Law of Conservation of Matter.

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Example of a balanced equation: 2H2 + O2 -> 2H2O. What does this indicate?

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This indicates that 2 molecules of hydrogen react with 1 molecule of oxygen to produce 2 molecules of water, conserving matter.

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What is the role of subscripts in a chemical formula?

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Subscripts indicate the number of atoms of each element in a molecule; for example, in H2O, the '2' indicates there are 2 hydrogen atoms.

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What happens to atoms during a chemical reaction?

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Atoms are rearranged to form new substances, but the total number of atoms remains the same, in accordance with the Law of Conservation of Matter.