Question

After wood burns, the ash weighs much less than the original wood. explain why the law of conservation of mass is not violated in this situation

Answer 1

When wood burns it makes 1 ash and 2 CO and so law of conversation matter wouldn't be violated as the ash + the smoke each would have a fraction of the original matter from the wood

Answer 2

Answer:

Explanation:

The Law of Conservation of Matter is also called the law of conservation of mass or the Law of Lomonósov-Lavoisier. This law postulates that "the mass is not created or destroyed, only transformed." This means that the reagents interact with each other and form new products with physical and chemical properties different from those of the reagents because the atoms of the substances are ordered differently. But the amount of matter or mass before and after a transformation (chemical reaction) is always the same, that is, the quantities of the masses involved in a given reaction must be constant at all times, not changing in their proportions when the reaction ends. In other words, then the mass before the chemical reaction is equal to the mass after the reaction. The exception to the rule is nuclear reactions, in which it is possible to convert mass into energy and vice versa.

When the wood burns, it is combined with oxygen and a smaller amount of ashes is obtained. But the combustion of wood not only generates ashes but also releases other substances that "escape" in the smoke generated by combustion. These substances are CO₂ and H₂O, which as mentioned are also produced when the wood is burned.

Then, by adding the mass of the ashes plus that of the smoke, the result would be equal to the initial mass of the wood and oxygen. The total mass of matter after burning the wood would be the same as the total mass of matter before burning. In this way the law of conservation of mass is not violated.