Question

When a piece of steel wool is burned it gains mass. Which explanation is consistent with the law of conservation of mass?

Answer 1

Matter from the air combined with the steel wool.

Answer 2

Conservation of mass

Explanation:

When a piece of steel wool is burned it gains mass,is an excellent phenomenon to discuss chemical reactions and the conservation of mass

• The idea of indivisible atoms helps to explain the conservation of matter
• If the number of atoms stays the same no matter how they are rearranged, then their total weight stays the same
• In all physical and chemical changes, the total number of atoms remains the same, hence when substances interact with one another, combine or break apart, the total weight of the system remains the same
• Steel wool is made mostly of the element iron (Fe),to prevent this iron from rusting, steel wool is usually  coated with an oil based coating
• When the steel wool is heated, this coating is burned off
• The heat and  large amount of surface area allows the iron in the steel wool to burn or combine with the oxygen in the air,this accelerated oxidation is rusting
• The steel wool weighs more after it is burned
• When iron becomes iron oxide, it usually forms the compound Fe2O3
• Since oxygen atoms have mass and  are joined to the iron atoms, the resultant compound weighs more