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All chemical reactions follow the law of conservation of mass - OCR Gateway - GCSE Chemistry - Question 18 - 2021 - Paper 3
Question 18
All chemical reactions follow the law of conservation of mass. (a) State the law of conservation of mass. (b) A student investigates the reaction of magnesium car... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:All chemical reactions follow the law of conservation of mass - OCR Gateway - GCSE Chemistry - Question 18 - 2021 - Paper 3
Step 1
Step 2
Describe the movement of the magnesium carbonate particles used in this reaction.
Answer
Magnesium carbonate is a solid, which means its particles vibrate in fixed positions. When it reacts with dilute hydrochloric acid, the magnesium carbonate particles start to interact with the acid particles, leading to the release of gas.
Step 3
Explain why the mass on the balance decreases as the reaction occurs.
Answer
As the reaction occurs, carbon dioxide gas is produced and escapes into the air, causing the mass on the balance to decrease. According to the particle model, gas particles move freely and can leave the container, contributing to the loss of mass.
Step 4
Describe two limitations of the particle model.
Answer
- The particle model does not take into account the forces of attraction between particles, which can influence states of matter.
- The particle model simplifies particles to have specific shapes and sizes, which does not accurately represent the varying shapes and sizes found in real substances.