Which best describes how the total mass of the substances that go into photosynthesis compares to the mass of substances that are present
afterward?
O A. The mass increases because the molecules that are produced are
larger than those that are used.
B. The mass increases because some light energy changes into
mass.
O C. The mass stays the same because the total number of atoms
does not change
O D. The mass decreases because plants destroy some of the atoms
during photosynthesis.

C. The mass stays the same because the total number of atoms does not change

Explanation:

According to the law of conservation of matter/mass, matter cannot be created nor destroyed, hence, the amount of matter in the reactants must be the same amount in the products.

Using the photosynthetic reaction as a case study, carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O) are the compounds that go into the reaction (reactants) while glucose and oxygen (O2) are the products of the reaction.

Using the law of conservation of matter to explain, the total mass of both the reactants and products stays the same because the total number of atoms does not change i.e. if 6 atoms of Carbon starts the reaction, 6 atoms of carbon will end it.

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