Why does mass appear to be lost in a reaction involving burning in an open system?
A)Matter escapes as a gas.
B)Matter as ashes is smaller than the starting material.
C)Matter is made less dense in the burning process.
D)Burning causes the loss of matter.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Matter escapes as a gas during burning, which might give the appearance of mass loss, but in reality, the mass is conserved and simply transitions to a gaseous state that might not be captured in an open system.

Why Does Mass Appear to Be Lost in a Reaction