Profile
Settings
Refer your friends
Sign out
The chemistry world is filled with curiosities and inner workings that are not visible to naked eyes. The hidden atoms and the variety of chemicals hold a key to the understanding of the world’s composition. This chemical world is constituted of several laws and elements.
One such governing law of chemistry is the law of conservation of mass. This law holds a very logical application to our lives. The law of conservation of mass believes in no new matter forming. Rather, it believes that all matter takes on a new form when exposed to changes.
In our practical lives, we come across various applications of the law of conservation of mass. Let us dive in to understand the law of conservation of mass and its importance. We will also look at a few examples of the law of conservation of mass.
The Law of Conservation of Mass: A Closer Look
The law of conservation of mass was pioneered by Antoine Laurent Lavoisier in 1789. Lavoisier was a prominent French chemist. According to the law, in a chemical reaction, the mass involved is neither created nor destroyed. This means that the chemical elements in a chemical reaction do not lose their mass. Instead, the mass is changed to some other form and remains unchanged. This is further explained in terms of reactants and products.
As per the law of conservation of mass, the total mass of the reactants is constant to the products’ mass. So, if you add up the mass of reactants and the mass of products, they would be unchanged. Here, the basic principle of the law is visible and applied. That is, the mass of the matter was not destroyed even after going through conversion or change.
Lavoisier believed that the chemical elements found on Earth never really lose mass. These elements go through several chemical reactions. However, their masses are never lost, but is changed to some other form. The law of conservation of mass is said to have altered numerous dimensions of modern chemistry. It has also transformed the science world.
Similarly, no new mass is added when the reactants produce new products. This law is considered to be significant as it brought in a new perspective for mass. It proved that the mass of a substance is never lost, but only disguised in a new form as products.
Examples of Law of Conservation of Mass
Now that we know what the law of conservation of mass is, let us understand them with examples.
Example 1
For instance, burning wood logs will give us ash and soot. When applying the law of conservation of mass, the mass of the wood logs is equal to its burnt state, that is the ashes and other resultants. Here, the wood logs were changed to a different matter, however, the mass remained unchanged.
Example 2
Consider you keep a candle burning. As the candle burns, there is a gaseous vapour as well as melting wax. You will notice that soon there is only some amount of wax left. But here, the entire mass of the candle is not just the leftover wax. It also has carbon dioxide and water vapour. Hence, by applying the law of conservation of mass, the entire candle’s mass is equal to its altered state, the wax and the gases.
These are clear examples of the law of conservation of mass. These practical examples will help you get a clearer picture of the law.
Importance of the Law of Conservation of Mass
The law of conservation of mass also includes its application and significance. In our practical lives as well as the chemical world, this law holds prominent importance. Let us find out what the importance of the law of conservation of mass is.
Reliability for Chemistry
Before the formulation of the law of conservation of mass, there were different perceptions toward chemistry. Mostly, the field of chemistry was associated with mystery and magic. It was believed to be something that had no logical or scientific thinking processes backing it. However, with the progression of the law of conservation of mass, this perspective shifted. The law is considered to be logical and has been proved too. This gave chemistry an image that is logical, reliable, and practical.
Important for Chemical Reactions
The law of conservation of mass plays a very important role in ascertaining any chemical reaction. Scientists use this law to create balanced chemical reactions. It aids them to interpret the quantities of the components in chemical reactions. This further assists them to predict the quantities of the resultants. The efficiency to create the chemical products can be measured and heightened with this law.
Simplifies Chemical Reactions
The law of conservation of mass makes chemical reactions easier. Once a scientist knows the mass of the reactants, the products’ mass is also known. The scientist saves time while finding out the mass of the products. According to the law, the mass remains unchanged even after the chemicals are changed.
These are some of the benefits of the law of conservation of mass. The law has paved a strong path to performing several chemical reactions, easily and reliably.
Conclusion
The chemistry world is guided by several laws and approaches. One, amongst these, is the law of conservation of mass. This law was suggested by French chemist Antoine Laurent Lavoisier in 1789. The law is also termed Lavoisier’s law.
According to the law of conservation of mass, matter or mass of elements never change. That is, chemical elements that go through chemical reactions, do not lose their mass or gain new mass. Instead, the mass is converted into other forms and are termed as products. This law brings in two related concepts; reactants, and products. When the reactants go through chemical reactions, their mass is transferred into the products created.
The law has completely changed perspectives towards chemistry. It has given logical and reliable backing to chemistry. The law of conservation of mass holds great significance in this field of science.
