17) A student measures 10.5 g of mercury(II) oxide into an open test tube and heats the tube. The heat
causes the mercury(II) oxide to decompose into mercury and oxygen. After reaction, the student finds
the mass of the contents of the tube to be 9.7 g. Which one of the following describes these observations?
A) The decomposition of mercury(II) oxide does not obey the Law of Conservation of Mass.
B) 0.8 grams of oxygen gas are lost from the tube.
C) There are errors associated with the student’s measurements.
D) Heating destroys some mass.
18) The amount of carbon on the earth, including the atmosphere,
A) is essentially constant.
B) is decreasing due to consumption of carbon based fuels, such as coal and petroleum.
C) is increasing due to plant and animal growth on the planet.
D) fluctuates dramatically with the seasons.
19) The amount of aluminum on the earth today relative to the amount 100 years ago when Al was first
commercially extracted from bauxite, an aluminum containing ore,
A) is essentially the same.
B) is decreasing rapidly due to production of aluminum beverage containers.
C) is decreasing, but more slowly recently due to interest in recycling.
D) is actually increasing due to recycling efforts and more energy efficient production methods.