Understanding

the Law of
Conservation of
Mass
 Most Essential Learning
Competencies (MELCs):

1.Apply the principles of conservation of

mass to chemical reactions (S10MT-IVe-
g-23);

2. Describe how matter is conserved during

a chemical change.
What does the Law of Conservation
of Mass State?
• During any chemical reaction, matter is
neither created nor destroyed. Mass is
conserved from reactants to products.

• Therefore,
MASS REACTANTS = MASS PRODUCTS
What does the law really mean?
CH4 (g) + 2O2 (g)  CO2 (g) + 2H2O (l)

methane gas oxygen gas carbon dioxide gas water

Reactants: methane gas (CH4) and oxygen gas (O2)

Products: carbon dioxide gas (CO2) and water (H2O)

“” means yields.

Little numbers (subscripts) – tell how many of a particular type of

atom are inside of a molecule.
(ex. 4 hydrogen atoms per methane molecule)
Big numbers (coefficients) – tell how many of each particle is
involved in the reaction.
(ex. 2 molecules of oxygen react with 1 molecule of methane)
 How would you draw this reaction as
particles and show conservation of mass?
CH4 (g) + 2O2 (g)  CO2 (g) + 2H2O (l)

methane gas oxygen gas carbon dioxide gas water

How does this picture show that particles and therefore mass are conserved
from reactant’s side to product’s side?
What is all that really happens to the particles in a chemical reaction?
Can atoms of one type be changed into (transformed) atoms of another type
during a chemical reaction?
 Note about showing “conservation” in
particle diagrams
If you have the reaction:
A2 + B2 A3B

You would show conservation by drawing

+ 

3A2 + 1B2  2A3B

Do not simply add stray “atoms” to molecules. It changes them to a
different substance.
Introduction to Chemical
Reactions
 What is a Chemical Reaction?
It is a chemical change in which one or
more substances are destroyed and one
or more new substances are created.

BEFORE AFTER

H2 gas H2O liquid

and

O2 gas
 Parts of a Chemical Reaction
Reactants  Products

Reactants: Substances that are destroyed by the

chemical change (bonds break).
break

Products: Substances created by the chemical

change (new bonds form).
form

The arrow () is read as “yields”.

 Other symbols in chemical
reactions
• (s) = solid
• (l) = liquid
• (g) = gas
• (aq) = aqueous solution (the substance is
dissolved in H2O)
• “+” separates two or more reactants or
products
• “” yield sign separates reactants from
products
 Evidence for a Chemical Reaction
1) Evolution of light or heat.
 Evidence for a Chemical Reaction
2) Temperature change (increase or
decrease) to the surroundings.
 Evidence for a Chemical Reaction
3) Formation of a gas (bubbling or an odor)
other than boiling.
 Evidence for a Chemical Reaction
4) Color change (due to the formation of a
new substance).
 Evidence for a Chemical Reaction
5) Formation of a precipitate (a new solid
forms) from the reaction of two aqueous
solutions.
 Word Equations
• Statements that indicate the reactants and
products in a chemical reaction.

• Ex. Iron (s) + chlorine (g)  iron (III) chloride (s)

• This is read as:

“Solid iron and chlorine gas react (combine) to produce
solid iron (III) chloride”
 Translating Word Equations to
Skeleton Equations
• A skeleton equation uses chemical formulas
rather than words to identify the reactants and
products of a chemical reaction.

• The word equation

Iron (s) + chlorine (g)  iron (III) chloride (s)

• The skeleton equation

Fe(s) + Cl2(g)  FeCl3 (s)

A skeleton equation is not yet “balanced” by coefficients!

 One more example…
• 6 Na (s) + Fe2O3 (s)  3 Na2O (s) + 2 Fe (s)
– The numbers preceding the chemical formulae are
coefficients. They are used to balance the reaction.
– The numbers within the chemical formulae are
subscripts.
– You can read the above balanced reaction as:
• “6 atoms of solid sodium plus 1 formula unit of solid
iron (III) oxide yields 3 formula units of solid sodium
oxide and 2 atoms of solid iron” or…
• “6 moles of solid sodium plus 1 mole of solid iron (III)
oxide yields 3 moles of solid sodium oxide plus 2
moles of solid iron”
• Chemical reactions can never be read in terms of
grams, only in terms of particles or groups of particles
(moles).
 Conservation of Mass
During a chemical reaction, atoms are neither
created nor destroyed (Conservation of
Mass).

Hydrogen and oxygen gas react to form

water:
H2 (g) + O2 (g)  H2O (l)
 Conservation of Mass
H2 (g) + O2 (g)  H2O (l)

What is wrong with this equation above? Doesn’t

it appear that one oxygen atom “went missing”?

According to conservation of mass, the proper way

to write this reaction is:

2H2 (g) + 1O2 (g)  2H2O (l)

The red coefficients represent the # of molecules

(or the # of moles) of each reactant or product.
Not All Properties are Conserved
During Chemical Reactions!

CONSERVED NOT CONSERVED

Mass Color
Types of atoms Physical state (solid,
Number of each atom liquid, gas)
Volume
Number of moles of
reactants/products
TYPES OF CHEMICAL
REACTIONS
 DECOMPOSITION REACTION
A more complex substance (the
reactant) breaks down into two
or more simple parts (products).
Synthesis and decomposition
reactions are opposites.

Ex: 2H2O  2H2 + O2 Electrolysis of

Water
 1) SINGLE REPLACEMENT
REACTION
A single uncombined
element replaces
another element in
an ionic compound.
There are two
reactants and two
products.
Ex: Zn + CuSO4  ZnSO4 + Cu
 Single Replacement Reactions
Single replacement reactions have the
general form, A + BC  AC + B.

Question: Do all single replacement

reactions actually occur?

Answer: Not necessarily…

 Single Replacement Reactions
Examine the reaction:
Zn + CuSO4  ZnSO4 + Cu
This reaction does occur!’

Now let’s try:

Cu + ZnSO4  No Reaction

Conclusion: Zn will replace Cu in

solution, but not vice versa!
 Single Replacement Reactions
How do we know which reactions will occur
and which ones will not?

We look at the “activity series”.

Elements with higher activities replace

elements with lower activities during a
single-replacement reaction, but not vice-
versa.
 Activity Series for Cr
Metals
Fe
HIGHEST ACTIVITY
Ni
Li
Sn
Rb
Pb
K
H
Ba
Cu
Ca
Hg
Na
Ag
Mg
Pt
Al
Au
Mn
LOWEST ACTIVITY
Zn
Activity Series for Nonmetals
Highest Activity

Cl

Br

Lowest Activity
 Predicting the Products of Single
Replacement Reactions
1) Write the reactants.

2) Identify the cation and anion of the reactant

that is a compound.
3) Use the activity series to see if the single
element will replace one of the elements in
the compound. If no reaction will occur,
just write “NR” for the products and you
are done.
4) Identify the reactant that is the element.
Determine its charge when it becomes an
ion.
5) Perform criss-cross to predict the new
compound on the products side of the
reaction.
6) Write both new products.

7) Balance the reaction.

 Single Replacement Between
Metals and Water
• Some metals have a higher activity than
hydrogen and can replace it in a single
replacement reaction. In these reactions, you
may think of water (H2O) as H(OH).
• Ex: Na + H2O  ?
Na + HOH  ?

Na + H+OH-  Na+OH- + H

2Na + 2H2O  2NaOH + H2

 2) DOUBLE REPLACEMENT
Parts of two REACTION
aqueous ionic
compounds switch
places to form two
new compounds.
Example:
There are two AgNO3 + NaCl 
reactants and two AgCl + NaNO3
products.
 Double Replacement Reactions
The general form of a double replacement reaction is:
AB + CD  AD + CB

Just like single replacement reactions, not all double

replacement reactions actually occur.

We can experimentally attempt a D.R. reaction. The

reaction occurs if:

1) A solid precipitate is produced, or

2) A gas is produced, or
3) Water is produced.

If none of the above are produced and both products are

(aq), then there is no reaction (NR)!
Examples of Double Replacement
Reactions:

H(OH)

H2O (l) + CO2 (g)

How do you determine if one of the products
of a double replacement reaction will be a
precipitate?
• Use the solubility rules….

Soluble compounds
These compounds break down when put in water.

Example: In water, NaCl  Na1+ and Cl1-.

We say that NaCl…

 has dissolved.
 is soluble.
 forms an aqueous solution (aq).
 The Solubility Rules
Insoluble compounds
These compounds do NOT
break down when put in
water.

Example: In water, CaCO3

does NOT break down
into Ca2+ and CO32- ions.

The CaCO3 stays as a

solid, (s) or (ppt). Seashells are made of CaCO3!

This is fortunate for many

sea-creatures!
 The Solubility Rules
You do not have to memorize these rules,
but you do have to know how to use them
to determine if a product is a precipitate.

See the chart on the next slide…..

Let’s check NaCl and CaCO3… Are these

compounds soluble or insoluble in
aqueous solution?
Solubility Rules Chart
 Predicting the Products of Double
Replacement Reactions…
Step Example
1) Write the two reactants (both are ionic
compounds)

2) Identify the cations and anions in both of the

compound reactants

3) Pair up each cation with the anion from the

other compound
(i.e. – switch the cations)

4) Write the formula for each product using the

criss-cross method

5) Write the complete equation for the double

replacement reaction

6) Balance the equation.

7) Use the solubility rules chart to figure out which

product is a precipitate (s) and which product
is an aqueous solution (aq). If both products
are (aq) it is really not a reaction.
 3) SYNTHESIS REACTION
Two or more simple substances
(the reactants) combine to form
a more complex substance (the
product).

Ex: 2Mg + O2  2MgO

 SYNTHESIS REACTION

Types of synthesis:
a)Element A + Element B Compound
Na(s) + Cl2 (g)  2NaCl(s)
a)Element + Compound A  Compound B
O2(g) + 2SO2(g)  2SO3(g)
a)Compound A + Compound B  Compound C
CaO(s) + H2O(l)  Ca(OH)2 (s)
 Synthesis Reactions (cont’d)
• Metallic and nonmetallic elements react to form ionic
compounds. The resultant compound should be charge
balanced by the criss-cross method.
Ex. 4Li + O2  2Li2O
• Nonmetals react with each other to form covalent
(molecular) compounds. You should be able to draw a
valid Lewis Structure for the product.
2H2 + O2  2H2O
or
H2 + O2  H2O2

But NOT

H2 + O2  2OH
 DECOMPOSITION REACTIONS
(Cont’d)
Decomposition of a compound produces two or
more elements and/or compounds
The products are always simpler than the
reactant.
Gases are often produced (H2, N2, O2, CO2, etc.)
in the decomposition of covalent compounds.
Ionic compounds may be decomposed into pure
elements by using electricity (electrolysis). This is
how pure metals are obtained from salts.
The Decomposition of Water by
Electrolysis

An electrical
current can be
used to chemically
separate water into
oxygen gas and
hydrogen gas.
Notice that twice
as much hydrogen
is produced
compared to
oxygen!

2H2O  2H2 + O2
Electrolysis of Molten Sodium
Chloride Many pure metals are
obtained by using
electrolysis to separate
metallic salts (ex. NaCl
is used to obtain pure
Na).
 5) COMBUSTION REACTIONS
a) All involve oxygen (O2) as a reactant,
combining with another substance
b) All combustion reactions are are
exothermic
c) Complete combustion of a
hydrocarbon always produces CO2
and H2O
d) Incomplete combustion of a
hydrocarbon will produce CO and
possibly C (black carbon soot) as
well
Ex: CH4 + 2O2 => CO2 + 2H2O (complete combustion – blue flame)
Ex: CH4 + 1.5O2 => CO + 2H2O (incomplete combustion – yellow flame)
Ex: CH4 + O2 => C + 2H2O (incomplete combustion – yellow flame, soot)
 Combustion (cont’d)
• Any synthesis reaction which involves O2 as a
reactant is also considered to be a combustion
reaction!

Ex. 2Mg + O2  2MgO

(metal oxide)

This is called the combustion of magnesium or

the synthesis of magnesium oxide. The
combustion of a metal always produces a metal
oxide (in this case, magnesium oxide). Make
sure the metal product is criss-crossed
correctly!
 TRY TO CLASSIFY THESE:
1) C4H8 + 6O2  4CO2 + 4H2O

2) HCl + NaOH  H2O + NaCl

3) 2KNO3(s)  2KNO2(s) + O2(g)

 TRY TO CLASSIFY THESE:
4) 2Ag + S  Ag2S

5) MgCO3(s)  MgO(s) + CO2(g)

6) Cl2 + 2KBr  2KCl + Br2

 Check Your Answers…
1) Combustion (of a hydrocarbon)
2) Double replacement (water forming)
3) Decomposition
4) Synthesis
5) Decomposition
6) Single Replacement
 Counting Atoms
SnO2 + 2H2 → Sn + 2H2O

SUBSCRIPT COEFFICIENT
 Rules for Counting Atoms
1)Coefficients propagate to the right through the
entire compound, whether or not parentheses
are present.

2) Subscripts affect only the element to the left of

the subscript, unless…

3) If a subscript occurs to the right of a

parentheses, the subscript propagates to the left
through the parentheses.

4) When a coefficient and subscript “meet”, you

must multiply the two.
 Examples of Counting Atoms
SnO2 + 2H2 → Sn + 2H2O

2 C4H10 + 13 O2 → 8 CO2 + 10 H2O

Cu + 2AgNO3 → Cu(NO3)2 + 2Ag

3Pb(NO3)2 + 2AlCl3 → 3PbCl2 + 2Al(NO3)3

 Classwork
Complete “The Count” worksheet
on counting atoms in chemical
reactions.
 Warm-Up
2Ca3(PO4)2 + 6 SiO2 + 10C 
6 CaSiO3 + P4 +10CO
Atom # Atoms on # Atoms on
Left Side Right Side
Ca
P
O
Si
C
 Rules for Balancing
Chemical Reactions

__H2 + __ O2  __H2O

Balancing is about finding the

right coefficients!
 Rules for Balancing
Chemical Reactions
1) You can change the coefficients, but
NEVER the subscripts!

__H2 + __ O2  __H2O

Off Limits!
 Rules for Balancing
Chemical Reactions
2) The coefficients must reduced to
represent the lowest possible numbers.

4H2 + 2 O2  4H2O
 Rules for Balancing
Chemical Reactions
3) It is OK to use fraction coefficients, but
you must get rid of them in the end
(multiply through by denominator).

H 2 + ½ O 2  H 2O
 Rules for Balancing
Chemical Reactions
4) Often, it is helpful to save the following
elements until the end (do other
elements first):

H, C, O
 Rules for Balancing
Chemical Reactions
5) Do a final balance check for each
element!

2H2 + O2  2H2O
 Practice

1) K + Br  KBr

2) HgO  Hg + O2

3) Na + H2O  NaOH + H2
 Practice

4) CaO + H2O  Ca(OH)2

5) Al + HCl  AlCl3 + H2