Answer to Question #65611 in General Chemistry for layla

Question

The mass of a burger decreases as it is being barbecued. Does this follow the law of conservation of mass?

Answer 1

Answer
Yes, this observation follows the law of conservation of mass. We should remember that when a burger is being prepared, its mass is decreased mainly because of water that vaporizes from the meat (and, in addition, some substances decompose and transform to gases like carbon dioxide). Therefore, if we would prepare a burger in a box closed so tightly that no molecule can leave it, the mass of this box with meat inside won’t change at all.