Hence, the total mass of reactants = total mass of products. When hydrogen gas burns and combines with oxygen to form water, the mass of the water formed is equal to the mass of the hydrogen and oxygen consumed. Thus, this is in accordance with the law of conservation of mass. This page discusses the law of conservation of mass , which asserts that in a chemical reaction, the mass of products equals the mass of reactants, implying mass cannot be created or destroyed. … Mass conservation is invalid, however, for the behaviour of masses actively involved in nuclear reactors, in particle accelerators, and in the thermonuclear reactions in the Sun and stars. The new conservation principle is the conservation of mass -energy. See also energy, conservation of; Einstein’s mass -energy relation. What Is the Law of Conservation of Matter The law of conservation of matter, or law of conservation of mass, is a scientific rule that says [1-4] Matter cannot be created or destroyed This means the total amount of matter stays the same, even when it changes form. It may look different after a change, but all the tiny particles are still there. They just rearrange or move to new places. The law of conservation of matter was discovered by French chemist Antoine Lavoisier in 1789.
