State and explain the law of conservation of mass.

Understanding chemical reactions is quintessential for grasping the foundational principles of chemistry. These reactions involve the transformation of substances into one or more different substances by breaking and forming chemical bonds. Remarkably, during these transformations, the total mass remains constant, exhibiting a pivotal characteristic of matter known as the law of conservation of mass.

When a chemical reaction occurs, the rearrangement of atoms leads to new compounds or elements. For instance, when hydrogen reacts with oxygen, water is formed. It's important to remember, despite this change of form and properties, that no atoms are lost or gained; they are simply reorganized.

A balanced chemical equation is akin to a scaled equation, ensuring that the mass and number of atoms for each element are equal on both sides. It is the symbolic representation of a chemical reaction where the reactants and products are expressed with their respective chemical formulas.

To illustrate, the equation for the reaction between hydrogen and oxygen is written as: \[2H_2 + O_2 \rightarrow 2H_2O\]. This equation shows that two molecules of hydrogen react with one molecule of oxygen to produce two molecules of water. The numbers in front of the chemical formulas are called coefficients and are pivotal to balancing the equation, ensuring compliance with the law of conservation of mass. This balance is essential; even slight imbalances would imply a violation of fundamental physical laws.

In the context of chemical reactions, a closed system is of significant importance. It is a system in which no matter is allowed to enter or leave, though energy in the form of heat or work may be exchanged with the surroundings. This particularity of a closed system renders it an ideal subject for observing the law of conservation of mass.

For example, if a chemical reaction is carried out in a sealed container, it would constitute a closed system. Here, even if gases are produced and may change pressure or volume within the container, the total mass inside the container before and after the reaction remains unchanged. By providing such an environment, it becomes easier to observe and measure the reactants and products, therefore verifying the law of conservation of mass via the physical unchanged quantity of matter.