AQA · Chemistry · 8462

GCSE Chemistry: Mass changes when a reactant or product is a gas

Quantitative chemistry · AQA GCSE Chemistry (8462), specification point 4.3.1.3. Cards are generated from the exam board's own specification for "Mass changes when a reactant or product is a gas", and every card links back to the page it came from. Specification © AQA — used with attribution.

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  1. Why can a chemical reaction appear to change mass in a non-enclosed system?

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    A reactant or product is a gas whose mass has not been taken into account.

  2. Why does the mass of the oxide exceed the mass of the metal when a metal reacts with oxygen?

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    Oxygen gas from the air combines with the metal, so its mass is added to the solid product.

  3. Why does the solid appear to lose mass during the thermal decomposition of a metal carbonate?

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    Carbon dioxide gas is produced and escapes into the atmosphere, leaving only the metal oxide as solid.

  4. Thermal decomposition of a metal carbonate gives a metal oxide and ?.

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    carbon dioxide

  5. What is the only solid product of the thermal decomposition of a metal carbonate?

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    The metal oxide.

  6. Which model is used to explain observed mass changes in non-enclosed reactions?

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    The particle model — gas particles leave or enter the system, carrying mass with them.

  7. In the particle model, why does a solid gain mass when a metal burns in air?

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    Oxygen particles from the air bond to the metal particles, so more particles make up the solid product.

  8. When a metal reacts with oxygen, the mass of the oxide produced is ? than the mass of the metal.

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    greater

  9. Would the mass of a metal carbonate decomposing in a sealed container appear to change?

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    No — in an enclosed system the carbon dioxide cannot escape, so total mass is conserved.

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