burning paper

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A lesson tomorrow on burning paper
The mass of the paper stays the same before and after burning.
Paper is made of cellulose, which is a polymer of glucose. Glucose is a molecule that contains carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms.
When you burn paper, you are breaking down the glucose molecules and combining them with oxygen from the air.
This is a chemical reaction called combustion, and it produces carbon dioxide and water as the products.
It also releases energy in the form of heat and light.
The mass of the reactants (paper and oxygen) is equal to the mass of the products (carbon dioxide and water).
This is a law of nature called conservation of matter, which states that matter cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed.
So, even though the paper seems to vanish, its mass is still there, in a different form.
·         Some is in the ash, the solid remains of the fire.
·         Some is in the smoke, which is a mixture of gases.
·         And some is in the heat and light.