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

• A. Atoms combine to form energy instead of matter.
• B. Atoms are rearranged to form new substances, but their total number remains unchanged.
• C. Atoms are destroyed and new atoms are created.
• D. Atoms lose mass and become smaller.

Answer: (B)

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 cannot be destroyed or created during ordinary chemical reactions.
3. Recognize that during a chemical reaction, atoms are rearranged to form new substances, meaning the bonds between atoms change but the atoms themselves remain intact.
4. Note that because atoms are neither created nor destroyed, the total number of atoms before and after the reaction remains the same.
5. Conclude that the Law of Conservation of Mass implies atoms are simply rearranged to form new substances without any change in their total number or mass.