According to the law of conservation of mass, what is the mass of sodium oxide [tex]\(\left( \text{Na}_2\text{O} \right)\)[/tex] formed in this reaction?

[tex]\[
\begin{array}{ccc}
4 \, \text{Na} & + & \text{O}_2 \\
91.96 \, \text{g} & & 32.00 \, \text{g} \\
& \rightarrow & 2 \, \text{Na}_2\text{O} \\
& & ? \\
\end{array}
\][/tex]

A. 61.68 grams
B. 247.92 grams
C. 123.96 grams
D. 495.84 grams



Answer :

To determine the mass of sodium oxide ([tex]\( \text{Na}_2\text{O} \)[/tex]) formed in the given reaction, we can use the law of conservation of mass. This law states that the mass of the reactants must be equal to the mass of the products in a chemical reaction.

Let's break down the problem step-by-step:

1. Identify the masses of individual reactants:
- The mass of sodium ([tex]\( \text{Na} \)[/tex]) given is 91.96 grams.
- The mass of oxygen ([tex]\( \text{O}_2 \)[/tex]) given is 32.00 grams.

2. Calculate the total mass of the reactants:
[tex]\[ \text{Total mass of reactants} = \text{mass of Na} + \text{mass of O}_2 \][/tex]
Substituting the given values:
[tex]\[ \text{Total mass of reactants} = 91.96 \, \text{grams} + 32.00 \, \text{grams} \][/tex]
[tex]\[ \text{Total mass of reactants} = 123.96 \, \text{grams} \][/tex]

3. Apply the law of conservation of mass:
The total mass of the products must equal the total mass of the reactants. Therefore, the mass of sodium oxide ([tex]\( \text{Na}_2\text{O} \)[/tex]) formed is the same as the total mass of the reactants.

Thus, the mass of sodium oxide ([tex]\( \text{Na}_2\text{O} \)[/tex]) formed is:
[tex]\[ \text{Mass of Na}_2\text{O} = 123.96 \, \text{grams} \][/tex]

Considering the options given:
- A. 61.68 grams
- B. 247.92 grams
- C. 123.96 grams
- D. 495.84 grams

The correct answer is:

C. [tex]\( 123.96 \)[/tex] grams