In physics and chemistry, the law of conservation of mass states that for any system closed to

all transfers of matter and energy, the mass of the system must remain constant over time, as
the system's mass cannot change, so the quantity can neither be added nor be removed.
Therefore, the quantity of mass is conserved over time. For example, the mass of reactants is
always equal to the mass of products. But if the product has gas as a part of it, it is difficult to
prove the law of conservation of mass because the gas molecules move quickly into the
surroundings and away and it’s thus hard to derive the actual mass. You’ll face terms ahead,
like open and closed systems, and those are nothing complicated. An open system interacts
with its environment and thus exchanges information, material, or energy with the environment,
including random and undefined inputs. A closed system is one, which doesn't interact with its
environment. Let us take simple examples. A closed system allows only energy transfer but no
transfer of mass. Example: a cup of coffee with a lid on it, or a simple water bottle. An open
system can allow mass as well as energy to flow through its boundaries, for example, an open
cup of coffee.

Purpose: To demonstrate the law of conservation of mass

Hypothesis: We all know that according to the law of conservation of mass, the
total mass of reactants and products in a reaction always the same. We’ll try to
prove that here.

Materials:-

1) 2 small beakers
2) Balance
3) 50 ml vinegar (weak acetic acid)
4) 10 ml baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)
5) Water
6) 2 Alka- Seltzer tablets
7) Balloon

Part A: Baking Soda and Vinegar

Open system:
1. Calibrate/set balance to zero.
2. Fill a cup with 20mL of vinegar.
3. Add one spoonful, 5mL, of baking soda into the second beaker.
4. Place both cups on the balance and
record the starting mass. Take a photo of
the balance, showing the cups and the
mass.
5. Pour the baking soda into the cup of
vinegar. Do not stir.
6. Place the empty cup back on the balance.
Record the ending mass, include both cups.
7. Calculate the amount of mass changed.

Closed system:
1. Clean and dry both cups.
2. Fill a clean cup with 30mL of vinegar.
3. Add 5mL of baking soda into a clean
Ziplock/plastic bag.
4. Gently place the cup with vinegar into the
plastic bag. Do not spill the vinegar!
5. Try to push all air out of the bag. Seal the bag and place it on the balance
without spilling the vinegar. Record the starting mass.

6. Without opening the bag, tip the cup, mixing the vinegar with the baking soda.
7. Still without opening the bag, record the ending mass of the contents of the
plastic bag. Take a photo of the balance, showing the sealed bag and the mass.
8. Calculate the amount of mass changed.

Observations and Results:

BAKING SODA & VINEGAR

OPEN SYSTEM

STARTING MASS (g) 27.0

ENDING MASS (g) 26.0

AMOUNT CHANGED (g) 1.0

CLOSE SYSTEM

STARTING MASS (g) 28.0

ENDING MASS (g) 27.8

AMOUNT CHANGED (g) 0.2

Part B: Water and Alka-Seltzer

Procedure:

Open system:

1. Set the balance to zero.

2. Fill and clean a narrow-necked flask with 50mL of water. The neck must be
narrow enough for a balloon to fit snugly over the neck. If you have access to an
Erlenmeyer flask from a chemistry lab, use it!
3. Place the flask and one tablet on the balance and record the starting mass.
4. Place the tablet into the flask of water. Swirl and wait three minutes.
5. Once the reaction is complete, record the ending mass.
6. Calculate the amount of mass changed.

Closed system:
1. Clean the flask and fill it with 50mL of water.
2. Place one tablet into a balloon.
3. Place the balloon around the rim of the flask, but do not let the tablet fall into
the water.
4. Find and record the starting mass of the flask and balloon with the tablet.
5. Lift the balloon, causing the tablet to fall into the water. Swirl and wait three
minutes.
6. Once the reaction is complete, record the ending mass.
7.Calculate the amount of mass changed.

*You can notice that though the ballon hasn’t inflated, the solution has turned
milky.
Observations and Results:

WATER & ALKA-SELTZER

OPEN SYSTEM

INITIAL MASS (g) 25

FINAL MASS (g) 24.3

CHANGE IN MASS (g) 0.7

CLOSED SYSTEM

INITIAL MASS (g) 25.3

FINAL MASS (g) 25.1

CHANGE IN MASS (g) 0.2

Analysis:

Include answers to the following within the Analysis section of the lab:
1. The effervescent tablet contains sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), which
reacts with water in the following reaction:

H₂O + NaHCO₃ → NaOH + CO₂ + H₂O

ELEMENT HYDROGEN CARBON OXYGEN SODIUM

REAGENTS 3 1 4 1

PRODUCTS 3 1 4 1

2. The reaction given above is balanced as the number of atoms of each element
is same on either side.

Discussion:

In your discussion, include the answers to the following questions:

In the beginning of this lab I have discussed the differences between a closed
and an open system in an experiment. It has been seen that closed systems
have a lesser change in mass compared to open systems, after the chemical
change occurs. This because open systems can let the gaseous particles in
product flow away.

There’s a very slight change in mass before and after the chemical experiments,
which suggests that the mass of products and reactants are always same.

Both have fizzing sounds which are very minor though, both also give bubbles as
well but the tablet gives more bubbles. The baking soda has a different coloured
solution while the tablet gives a more milky sort of solution after the reaction. The
baking soda has a caramel cream sort of colour.

In my opinion, there could’ve been parallax errors, and I also wanted to say that I
did not have precise electronic scale so the masses are assumed. I really had no
last resort. I just could rely on the beaker’s reading of millilitres only. I can’t do
anything except sacrifice some marks here and get a low grading. Sorry for this
inconvenience but I really had nothing to do.
*Souces: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4ba9X9IY_s, https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=Y4X2h6YTv80, and images are captured by phone.