The Law of Conservation of Matter

We’ve talked about changes in matter… The evaporation of a puddle of water Rust forming on a metal fence PHYSICAL CHEMICAL

HOWEVER… No matter is created or destroyed by such changes! The total amount of matter remains constant.

The Law of Conservation of Matter During a chemical reaction, matter cannot be created or destroyed. Even though the matter may change from one form to another, the same number of atoms exists before and after the change takes place!

Since the overall mass of the matter does not change… The mass of the reactants – the substances there before the reaction occurs – must equal the mass of the product – the substances there after the reaction takes place. Mass of Reactants Mass of Products

The Law of Conservation of Matter Closed system – an environment where matter cannot enter or escape. Ex 1: Boiling soup in a closed saucepan Ex 2: Shaking a soda and not opening the cape Open system – an environment where matter can enter or escape. Ex 1: Burning of wood Ex 2: Boiling soup in an open saucepan