When magnesium hydroxide reacts with nitric acid, it produces magnesium nitrate and water. Mg(OH)2 + 2HNO3 → Mg(NO3)2 + 2H2O

In one to two sentences, explain how this reaction demonstrates that matter is neither created nor destroyed in a chemical reaction.

The law of conservation of mass states that mass is neither created nor destroyed but the mass of the system must remain constant over time. The total number of atoms in the reactants is equal to the total number of atoms in the product. Therefore, this chemical equation shows that energy is conserved and demonstrates the law of conservation of mass.