According to the Law of Conservation of Mass, what happens to the atoms during a chemical reaction?

• A. All atoms combine to form a single new element.
• B. Some atoms are destroyed while new atoms are created.
• C. The atoms are rearranged to form new substances, but their total number remains unchanged.
• D. Atoms disappear from the reactants and reappear in the products.

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Recall the Law of Conservation of Mass, which states that mass cannot be created or destroyed in a chemical reaction.
2. Understand that atoms are the fundamental units of matter and that during a chemical reaction, atoms are neither created nor destroyed.
3. Recognize that what changes during a chemical reaction is the way atoms are connected or arranged, forming new substances called products.
4. Therefore, the total number of each type of atom remains the same before and after the reaction, ensuring mass is conserved.
5. Conclude that atoms are simply rearranged to form new substances, but their total number remains unchanged throughout the reaction.