Which of the following was a benefit that chemists derived from Dalton's atomic theory?

• A. It provided a systematic explanation for the law of conservation of mass.
• B. It proved the existence of protons and neutrons.
• C. It explained the behavior of gases using quantum mechanics.
• D. It described the arrangement of electrons in energy levels.

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Review Dalton's atomic theory, which proposed that matter is composed of indivisible atoms and that atoms of a given element are identical in mass and properties.
2. Understand the law of conservation of mass, which states that mass is neither created nor destroyed in a chemical reaction.
3. Connect Dalton's theory to the law of conservation of mass by recognizing that chemical reactions involve rearrangements of atoms, but the atoms themselves are not lost or gained, thus explaining why mass remains constant.
4. Note that Dalton's theory did not include knowledge of subatomic particles like protons and neutrons, nor did it involve quantum mechanics or electron arrangements, which were developed later.
5. Conclude that the key benefit from Dalton's atomic theory was providing a systematic explanation for the law of conservation of mass based on the concept of atoms as indivisible units.