Conservation of MassOxford AQA IGCSE Chemistry: Flashcards

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What is a word equation?

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What is a word equation?: An equation that names the reactants and products of a reaction using words
What is a balanced symbol equation?: An equation using chemical formulae with balancing numbers so atom numbers are equal on both sides
What does the state symbol (s) mean?: Solid
What does the state symbol (aq) mean?: Aqueous - dissolved in water
What does the state symbol (g) mean?: Gas
What does the state symbol (l) mean?: Liquid
State the law of conservation of mass.: No atoms are lost or made during a chemical reaction, so the mass of the products equals the mass of the reactants
Why does a balanced symbol equation have equal numbers of atoms on each side?: Because atoms cannot be created or destroyed in a chemical reaction - this reflects conservation of mass
A student heats a metal carbonate in an open container and the mass decreases. Does this break the law of conservation of mass?: No - carbon dioxide gas escapes from the open container, so mass is still conserved overall, just not all retained in the container
A student burns magnesium in an open container and the mass increases. Why?: Magnesium reacts with oxygen from the air, and the oxygen's mass is added to the solid product, magnesium oxide