In this example of a chemical change, sodium is added to chlorine gas to produce table salt.
sodium metal
+
chlorine gas

table salt
How does the mass of the sodium metal and chlorine gas involved in the reaction, compare to the mass of the table salt produced?
O The mass of the sodium metal and chlorine gas combined is equal to the mass of the table salt that is produced.
O The mass of the sodium metal and chlorine gas combined is larger than the mass of the table salt produced.
O The mass of the sodium metal and chlorine gas combined is less than the mass of the table salt produced.
O The mass of the sodium metal is equal to the mass of chlorine gas used and the table salt produced.



Answer :

In a chemical reaction like the one described where sodium metal is added to chlorine gas to produce table salt, the law of conservation of mass applies. This law states that matter cannot be created or destroyed in a chemical reaction; it can only change forms. 1. The mass of the sodium metal and the mass of the chlorine gas combined before the reaction is equal to the mass of the table salt produced after the reaction. 2. So, the correct option is: The mass of the sodium metal and chlorine gas combined is equal to the mass of the table salt that is produced. This means that the total mass of the reactants (sodium metal and chlorine gas) is the same as the total mass of the products (table salt) after the reaction takes place. This principle is crucial in understanding the behavior of matter in chemical reactions.