Franklin was performing an experiment by combining hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide. He measured the mass of his reactant materials to be 35 g. The reaction resulted in the production of salt and water. He reported that his products weighed 32 g. Which best describes the results of Franklin’s experiment?

The law of conservation of mass says that in a chemical reaction, the total mass of the products equals the total mass of the reactants. Franklin measured 35 g of reactants, so the salt and water together should also weigh 35 g, not 32 g. Therefore, an error occurred in the measurement or reporting; the correct choice is “An error occurred, the mass of the reactants should equal the mass of the products.”

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