The balanced equation for photosynthesis is shown below. 6 co2 + 6 h2o → c6h12o6 + 6 o2 which statement best justifies the conservation of mass during photosynthesis? the total number of carbon atoms on both sides is 6. the total number of hydrogen atoms on both sides is 18. the number of oxygen atoms is equal to the number of carbon atoms on each side. the number of oxygen atoms is equal to the number of hydrogen atoms on each side.

The total number of carbon atoms on both sides is 6.

Explanation:

The law of conservation of mass or the Lavoisier's law is a fundamental law of natural sciences. According to this law, in an isolated system, during any ordinary chemical reaction, the total mass in the system remains constant.

The law of the conservation of mass is the base of the balancing of the chemical equations, since according to it, the consumed mass of the reactants is equal to the mass of the obtained products.

In the following table are the amount of C, H and O in the reagents and products of the reaction in question,

        Reagents     Products

C            6                 6

H            12                12

O            18                18

As you can see, the statement that best justifies the conservation of mass during photosynthesis is the one that says that the total number of carbon atoms on both sides is 6.