Which statement is true of any physical or chemical reaction according to the Law of Conservation of Mass?

• A. The mass of the products is always greater than the mass of the reactants.
• B. Mass is always lost during a chemical reaction.
• C. Mass can be created or destroyed during physical changes.
• D. The total mass of the reactants equals the total mass of the products.

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the Law of Conservation of Mass: It states that mass cannot be created or destroyed in a chemical or physical reaction.
2. Recognize that during any reaction, the atoms are simply rearranged, but the total number of atoms remains constant.
3. Therefore, the total mass of all reactants before the reaction must be equal to the total mass of all products after the reaction.
4. Evaluate the given statements by comparing them to this principle: mass cannot be lost, gained, created, or destroyed.
5. Conclude that the true statement is: 'The total mass of the reactants equals the total mass of the products.'