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

• A. Matter is destroyed during the reaction.
• B. Matter is created during the reaction.
• C. Matter can be both created and destroyed.
• D. Matter is neither created nor destroyed; it is conserved.

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the Law of Conservation of Mass, which states that in a chemical reaction, matter cannot be created or destroyed.
2. Recognize that the total mass of the reactants before the reaction must be equal to the total mass of the products after the reaction.
3. This means that atoms are simply rearranged during the reaction, but the total number and type of atoms remain constant.
4. Therefore, matter is conserved throughout the chemical reaction, maintaining the same total mass.
5. Conclude that the correct interpretation is: Matter is neither created nor destroyed; it is conserved during a chemical reaction.