If one mole of oxygen-16 were formed from protons and neutrons,0.1366 g of mass would be lost.What can best account for this loss?
A)When fission occurs,the nuclei remaining always has a smaller mass.
B)Converting from the atomic scale (in amu's)to the macroscopic scale (in grams)can often cause minor errors to occur.
C)The process was so exothermic,the system lost energy,which meant that it also lost mass.
D)This is impossible because of the Law of Conservation of Matter (so mass must be conserved).
E)Both A and C are correct.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

According to Einstein's mass-energy equivalence, E=mc2, any process that releases energy (such as nuclear fusion in which oxygen-16 is formed) also results in a loss of mass. Therefore, option C is the best explanation for the observed mass loss. Option D (mass conservation) is incorrect because the Law of Conservation of Matter applies to chemical reactions and not nuclear reactions. Option A is partially correct but does not account for the fact that the missing mass is converted into energy. Option B is also incorrect because the conversion from atomic scale to macroscopic scale does not cause a significant loss of mass. Option E is incorrect because option A is not a complete explanation by itself.

If One Mole of Oxygen-16 Were Formed from Protons and Neutrons,0.1366