1.7 g of silver nitrate is dissolved in 100 g of water and 0.585 g of sodium chloride is dissolved in 100 g of water. Both are mixed and a chemical reaction takes place. 1.435 g of silver chloride and 0.85 g of sodium nitrate are formed. Which law of chemical combination is applicable in the above reaction?

Total mass of reactants = 1.7 g (AgNO₃) + 0.585 g (NaCl) = 2.285 g. Total mass of products = 1.435 g (AgCl) + 0.85 g (NaNO₃) = 2.285 g. Since the total mass of reactants equals the total mass of products, the reaction illustrates the Law of Conservation of Mass (formulated by Lavoisier), which states that mass is neither created nor destroyed in a chemical reaction. The other laws — multiple proportions, reciprocal proportions, definite proportions — relate to compositional ratios, which is not the focus here.