When we talk about the conservation of mass in chemical changes, there are some fun experiments we can try to learn about this important idea. Here are two easy ones:

1. Vinegar and Baking Soda Experiment:

• What You Need:

  • Vinegar
  • Baking soda
  • A balloon
  • A bottle

• What to Do:

  1. Pour a small amount of vinegar into the bottle.
  2. Quickly add baking soda to the vinegar.
  3. Immediately cover the top of the bottle with the balloon.

• What You’ll See:

  • The balloon will start to inflate as carbon dioxide gas fills it up.

• What It Means:

  • If you weigh the bottle before and after the experiment (with the balloon on), you’ll see that the weight doesn't change. This shows that mass is always conserved.

2. Heating Sugar Experiment:

• What You Need:

  • Sugar
  • A heat source (like a stove)
  • A container

• What to Do:

  1. Weigh the sugar in the container.
  2. Heat the sugar until it melts and turns brown.

• What You’ll See:

  • The sugar melts and changes color as it caramelizes.

• What It Means:

  • After it cools, if you measure the mass again, it should be the same as the first measurement. This shows that even when sugar changes, its mass stays the same.

These experiments are a great way to see that even when things change during chemical reactions, the total mass remains the same!