THE THREE

FUNDAMENTAL
LAWS OF
CHEMISTRY

LAW The
OFlaw
CONSERVATION OF MASS
of conservation of mass states that
“The mass in an isolated system can
neither be created nor be destroyed but
can be transformed from one form to
another”.
According to the law of conservation of mass,
the mass of the reactants must be equal to
the mass of the products for a low-energy
thermodynamic process.
It is believed that there are a few
assumptions from classical mechanics which
define mass conservation. Later the law of
conservation of mass was modified with the
help of quantum mechanics and special
relativity that energy and mass are one
conserved quantity. In 1789, Antoine Laurent
Lavoisier discovered the law of conservation
of mass.

LAW OF DEFINITE PROPORTIONS

Let's break down what the law of definite
proportions definition means!
The law of definite proportion states that
the elemental composition of pure
compounds is a fixed ratio of elements by
mass.
We are going to look at all the bolded aspects
of the law of definite proportion definition:
according to this law, every sample of a
particular compound has a fixed ratio of
elements meaning the same elements in
the same proportions by mass
We are looking at the ratio of elements to
compounds according to their molecular
weights, which is the percent
composition.

LAW OF MULTIPLE PROPORTIONS

The law of multiple proportions,
states that when two elements
combine to form more than one
compound, the mass of one element,
which combines with a fixed mass of
the other element, will always be
ratios of whole numbers.
Let us remember that the law of
multiple proportions only applies to
compounds composed of the same
elements. It does not apply to, let's say,
SO2 and CO2 because one compound
has sulfur (S) and one has carbon (C).

Simone Yunah Robiños 10-OLMC March 1, 2023