Multiple Choice
Why can chemical changes often not be reversed?
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1. Intro to General Chemistry
Physical & Chemical Changes
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During a chemical change, what happens to the atoms in the substances involved?
A
Atoms are destroyed and disappear from the system.
B
Atoms remain unchanged and only their physical arrangement is altered.
C
Atoms are converted into energy.
D
Atoms are rearranged to form new substances with different chemical properties.
Verified step by step guidance1
Understand the Law of Conservation of Mass, which states that atoms are neither created nor destroyed in a chemical reaction.
Recognize that during a chemical change, the atoms in the reactants are rearranged to form new products.
Note that the atoms themselves remain unchanged in their identity; only their connections (bonds) change.
Realize that this rearrangement leads to substances with different chemical properties than the original reactants.
Conclude that atoms are conserved and simply reorganized to create new substances during a chemical change.
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