Answer:
Claim: The chemical equation presented in the data table does NOT follow the law of conservation of matter
Evidence: Since we initially have 14.25 grams of Na and 9.5 grams of HCl
we will find the number of moles in each, to further apply stoichiometry
So,
Moles of Na: Given mass/Molar Mass = 14.25/23 = 0.62 Moles of Na
Moles of HCl: Given mass/Molar Mass = 9.5/36.5 = 0.26 Moles of HCl
Since HCl is the limiting reagent in this reaction,
0.26 Moles of Na will be consumed, which is equal to
5.98 grams of Na
Reasoning:
We are given that the total mass of the product is 22.98 grams
but through stoichiometry, we have found that only (9.5 + 5.98) = 15.48 grams of product can possibly be formed
Hence, the reaction presented in the table does NOT follow the law of conservation of matter