Question

The law of conservation of mass states that mass is neither created nor destroyed during a chemical reaction. This can be gleaned from the third postulate in Dalton's series. Magnesium oxide decomposes into magnesium and oxygen. If 4.03 g of magnesium oxide decomposes to form 2.43 g of magnesium, what mass of oxygen gas is also released in the reaction

Answer 1

Answer:

Explanation:

The law of conservation of mass states that mass is neither created nor destroyed during a chemical reaction. This can be gleaned from the third postulate in Dalton's series. Magnesium oxide decomposes into magnesium and oxygen. If 4.03 g of magnesium oxide decomposes to form 2.43 g of magnesium, what mass of oxygen gas is also released in the reaction

The word say magnesium oxide decomposes to magnesium and oxygen

the chemical symbols say

MgO-----------> Mg + O2  (since natural oxygen is diatomic)

the balanced  equation says

2MgO-------------->2Mg + O2

4.03 gm----------> 2.43 + ?0 gms

tour high school Algebra I class says

? = 4.03 -2.43 =1.60

your chemical analytcal lab says %mO in MgO = 16/40.3 = 39.7%

your calculator says

39.7/100 X 4.03 = 1.60

all of these prove the law of conservation of mass