When 24 g of methane gas (CH₄) is combined with 16 g of oxygen gas, if 15 g of water is collected and the only other product is carbon dioxide, how much carbon dioxide must have been released?

A) 30 g
B) 2.0 g
C) 40 g
D) 15 g

The law of conservation of mass states that mass is neither created nor destroyed in a chemical reaction. Therefore, the total mass of reactants equals the total mass of products. Given 24 g of methane and 16 g of oxygen (total 40 g) react to produce 15 g of water and carbon dioxide, the mass of carbon dioxide produced must be 40 g - 15 g = 25 g. However, none of the options match this calculation directly, suggesting a mistake in my initial calculation. Correctly, the total mass of reactants (24 g of methane + 16 g of oxygen = 40 g) must equal the total mass of the products. Since 15 g of water is one of the products, the rest must be carbon dioxide. Therefore, the correct amount of carbon dioxide produced is 40 g - 15 g = 25 g. Given the options provided do not include 25 g, and acknowledging a mistake in my explanation, the correct approach is based on the conservation of mass principle, but the calculation error was in not providing an option that matches the correct calculation. The correct interpretation should align with the conservation of mass, indicating an error in the initial response provided.