Chlorine has two natural isotopes: \(_{17}^{37} \mathrm{Cl}\) and 35 17 \(\mathrm{Cl}\) Hydrogen reacts with chlorine to form the compound HCl. Would a given amount of hydrogen react with different masses of the two chlorine isotopes? Does this conflict with the law of definite proportion? Why or why not?

In the reaction between hydrogen and the two natural isotopes of chlorine (\(_{17}^{35}\mathrm{Cl}\) and \(_{17}^{37}\mathrm{Cl}\)) to form HCl, a given amount of hydrogen reacts with different masses of the two chlorine isotopes: - For \(_{17}^{35}\mathrm{Cl}\): one mole of hydrogen reacts with 35 grams of chlorine - For \(_{17}^{37}\mathrm{Cl}\): one mole of hydrogen reacts with 37 grams of chlorine However, this does not conflict with the law of definite proportion, as the mass ratio of hydrogen and either chlorine isotope in HCl remains constant. The law states that a chemical compound always contains its component elements in a fixed mass ratio regardless of its source, and since the isotopes have the same chemical behavior, their reactions with hydrogen produce HCl with the same stoichiometry.