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Chapter 8: Problem 6

A student writes the following statement in a lab report: "During the reaction, the particles of the reactants are lost. The reaction creates energy and particles of the products" $$\begin{array}{l}{\text { a. Explain the scientific inaccuracies in the }} \\\ {\text { student's statement. }} \\ {\text { b. How could the student correct the }} \\ {\text { inaccurate statement? }}\end{array}$$

Short Answer

Expert verified
The inaccuracies in the student's statement relate to the misinterpretation of the law of conservation of mass and energy. A corrected version might read: 'During the reaction, the particles of the reactants are reorganized to form particles of the products. The reaction can release or absorb energy but does not create it.'

Step by step solution

01

Identify inaccuracies

The student's statement has two inaccuracies. First, during a chemical reaction, particles of reactants are not lost, they are reorganized to form products, following the law of conservation of mass. This means that atoms of each element in reactants should be equal to atoms of each element in the product. Second, while energy can be released or absorbed during a reaction, the reaction itself does not create energy, observing the law of conservation of energy, which states energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed.
02

Formulate an accurate statement

To correct the statement, the student should say: 'During the reaction, the particles of the reactants are reorganized to form particles of the products. The reaction can release or absorb energy but does not create it.'

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Most popular questions from this chapter

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