* Conservation of Mass: The fundamental principle of conservation of mass states that mass cannot be created or destroyed in ordinary chemical and physical changes.
* Dissolving, not disappearing: When you dissolve salt in water, the salt crystals break down into individual ions (sodium and chloride) that become surrounded by water molecules. These ions are still present in the solution, they just aren't in their original solid form.
* Total mass remains the same: The total mass of the salt solution (water + salt) is equal to the initial mass of the water plus the initial mass of the salt.
In short, the salt simply becomes part of the solution, increasing the total mass of the system.
