If a piece of metal, such as calcium or magnesium, reacts with atmospheric oxygen, would you expect the product to have a greater or lesser mass that the reacting metal? Why?

1 Answer
anor277
Nov 9, 2016

Should you not tell us this?

Explanation:

A metal is oxidized; i.e. it combines with atmospheric oxygen:

#"Metal + dioxygen " rarr " Metal oxide"#.

And certainly mass is conserved in every chemical reaction.

If mass is conserved, what should be the mass of the oxide with respect to the starting metal?

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