Question

(04.03 MC) Which of the following is not evidence for the law of conservation of mass during cellular respiration?

Answer 1

Cellular respiration creates an energy molecule when glucose is broken down doesn't prove the conservation of mass.

Option D.

Explanation:

Law of conservation of mass states that mass can neither be created nor be destroyed. And this law holds good for all sorts of chemical reactions except the nuclear reactions.

In case of cellular respiration, one molecule of glucose reacts with 6 molecules of oxygen to produce 6 molecules of carbon dioxide and 6 molecules of water and energy. Now this energy that is produced isn't produced in expense of mass, but in expense of chemical bonds that are present in glucose molecules.

Also if we calculate the number of atoms on each side of the reaction, the number of atoms remain same as well as number of atoms of individual elements also remain same and equal.