The Law of Conservation of Mass states that mass is neither created nor destroyed in an ordinary chemical reaction. When an iron nail rusts, it seems to get heaveir in mass. Does the iron nail follow the Law of Conservation of Mass?
a. No, rusting is an exception to the law
b. yes, the iron rearranges its protons so that the masses are the same before and after the reaction and rusting follows the law
c. no, since rusting is a chemical change, it does not follow the law
d. yes, iron chemically combines with the oxygen in the air so if you add the oxygen into the mass of the chemicals before the reaction, the mass after the reaction is the same.
Answer: D