Activity 1.

The Law of Conservation of Mass

Information and advice

1 This is an excellent opportunity for students to learn how to handle an electronic balance accurately and the care that needs to be taken to demonstrate that the law holds. It also helps students to understand the principle of the law and to discuss what it implies about chemical reactions. It is helpful to wave your hands near a balance and then lean on the bench, to show the marked effect even air currents can have on a balance reading, so that students appreciate the sensitivity of the instrument and the care that must be taken. Many students will predict that the combinations in which a solid is produced will get heavier and those in which a gas is produced will get lighter. The latter prediction will seem to come true, but this is due to leakage through the balloon. (This is less likely, though, if good quality rubber balloons are used rather than party balloons.) Discussion of this result is a good opportunity to introduce the concept of uncertainty in instruments. The teacher may also demonstrate a gas reaction in which the flask is sealed with a rubber stopper to show that no mass loss occurs if the flask is better sealed. However, the flask will need to be unsealed after about 20 seconds to prevent it exploding.

List of chemical solutions to be prepared

The number of small dropper bottles of each substance required will depend on the number of groups allocated to use each substance.
2 M hydrochloric acid (200 mL concentrated HCl per L of solution)
1 M sulfuric acid (56 mL concentrated H2SO4 per L of solution)
0.5 M sodium hydroxide (2.0 g NaOH per 100 mL)
saturated limewater solution
1 M copper(II) sulfate (25 g CuSO45H2O per 100 mL)
1 M sodium chloride (5.9 g NaCl per 100 mL)
concentrated ammonia solution
0.1 M potassium iodide (1.7 g KI per 100 mL)
0.1 M iron (III) chloride (1.6 g anhydrous FeCl3 per 100 mL)
0.1 M barium chloride (2.1 g BaCl2 per 100 mL)
0.1 M silver nitrate (1.7 g AgNO3 per 100 mL, store in a dark bottle)

Expected results
The results for the combinations in which only precipitates are produced should confirm the law, as any difference in the mass may be attributed to the uncertainty of the scales. Depending on the quality of the balloons, there may be a loss of mass in those combinations in which a gas is produced, and which cannot be accounted for by the uncertainty in the instrument alone. (See information and advice.)

Nelson Australia Pty Ltd 2007 -1-

Student Activity Manual solutions and information, Chapter 1

Suggested solutions to pre-lab activity: Focus questions

1 The mass of a sample or object is a measure of how heavy it is compared with other samples or objects and does not depend on its location; the weight of an object, which also measures how heavy it is, depends on how strong the gravitational forces are in that location. a A reactant is a substance that enters into a chemical reaction, and as result is converted into a new substance. The reactants are magnesium and hydrochloric acid. b A product is a new substance that is formed as a result of a chemical reaction. The products are magnesium chloride and hydrogen. c Student responses. (The mass will decrease since a gas is produced, which is able to escape since the flask is open.) d Student responses. (The mass will remain constant since the gas is now unable to escape. However, the flask could explode due to the build-up of gas pressure.) a Student responses. (The mass will remain constant since the products will remain in the flask; no gas is produced.) b Student responses. (The mass will remain constant since the products will remain in the flask and no other substance can enter.) We can deposit oils from our fingers onto the containers, and this will affect their mass.

Suggested solutions to discussion questions

1 This will depend on what the students predicted. (Many students mistakenly think that if a gas is produced a system will automatically be lighter and if a solid is produced it will automatically become heavier.) Sources of experimental uncertainty include: instrumental error in balances migration of particles through the rubber in the balloons air currents and movement near balances. These might account for any mass loss in the systems in which the balloons are used and any slight differences in mass of substances before and after each reaction. a Material could be lost in the transfer process, including the escape of gases produced. Also reduces exposure to dangerous chemicals. b This prevents the flasks from exploding due to the build-up of gas pressure. Student responses. (In a chemical reaction, particles are simply rearranged, so the amount of atoms of each element does not change) This will depend on which set the student pair used: A sodium hydroxide + silver nitrate
silver oxide + sodium nitrate (Reasonable for students to assume silver hydroxide is formed) B hydrochloric acid + magnesium
magnesium chloride + hydrogen C silver nitrate + sodium chloride
silver chloride + sodium nitrate D sodium hydroxide + copper(II) sulfate
copper(II) hydroxide + sodium sulfate E ammonia + copper(II) sulfate
ammonium sulfate + copper(II) hydroxide (Copper(II) hydroxide is a light blue precipitate; the formation of a deep blue solution instead is due to the production of copper tetraammine sulfate.) F sulfuric acid + calcium carbonate
calcium sulfate + carbon dioxide + water

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Student Activity Manual solutions and information, Chapter 1

sulfuric acid + barium chloride
barium sulfate + hydrochloric acid calcium hydroxide + iron(II) chloride
iron(II) hydroxide + calcium chloride silver nitrate + potassium iodide
silver iodide + potassium nitrate hydrochloric acid + sodium hydrogen carbonate
sodium chloride + carbon dioxide + water K sodium hydroxide + iron(III) chloride
iron(III) hydroxide + sodium chloride L sulfuric acid + magnesium
magnesium sulfate + hydrogen This will depend on which set the student pair used: A 2NaOH(aq) + 2AgNO3(aq)
Ag2O(s) + 2NaNO3(aq) + H2O(l) B 2HCl(aq) + Mg(s)
MgCl2(aq) + H2(g) C AgNO3(aq) + NaCl(aq)
AgCl(s) + NaNO3(aq) D 2NaOH(aq) + CuSO4(aq)
Cu(OH)2(s) + Na2SO4(aq) E 2NH3(aq) + CuSO4(aq) + 2H2O(l)
Cu(OH)2(s) + (NH4)2SO4(aq) or 4NH3(aq) + CuSO4(aq)
[Cu(NH3)4]SO4(aq) F H2SO4(aq) + CaCO3(s)
CaSO4(aq) + CO2(g) + H2O(l) G H2SO4(aq) + BaCl2(aq)
BaSO4(s) + 2HCl(aq) H Ca(OH)2(aq) + FeCl2(aq)
Fe(OH)2(s) + CaCl2(aq) I AgNO3(aq) + KI(aq)
AgI(s) + KNO3(aq) J HCl(aq) + NaHCO3(s)
NaCl(aq) + CO2(g) + H2O(l) K 3NaOH(aq) + FeCl3(aq)
Fe(OH)3(s) + 3NaCl(aq) L H2SO4(aq) + Mg(s)
MgSO4(aq) + H2(g) We balance equations to show that the total number of atoms of each element has not changed during the reaction. This shows the Law of Conservation of Mass is obeyed.

G H I J

Nelson Australia Pty Ltd 2007 -3-

Student Activity Manual solutions and information, Chapter 1