What is activation energy?(1 point)
A.) the energy released when atomic bonds are broken
B.) the energy that must be added to a system to break the bonds of the reactants **
C.) the kinetic energy of the reactants of a system after the reaction has begun
D.) the total potential energy of the bonds of the reactants in a system
i’m really struggling with this one because i thought that activation energy was the amount of energy needed to start a reaction, but none of these say that. I chose B because it was the most similar to what i think it should be, but a second opinion would be appreciated :D
Hi! Im currently going over this same topic! Im doing a CA Chemistry SW
○ Activation energy - initial energy that must be added to begin a reaction
Thanks for your help! I stuck with B because that was the closest to your definition as well and it was correct :)
You are correct in thinking that activation energy is the amount of energy needed to start a reaction. However, the given options do not explicitly state this. Let's go through each option to see which one best aligns with the definition of activation energy.
A.) the energy released when atomic bonds are broken: This option describes the energy released during the breaking of atomic bonds, which is not directly related to activation energy.
B.) the energy that must be added to a system to break the bonds of the reactants: This option correctly describes activation energy. It explains that energy needs to be added to a system in order to break the bonds of the reactants and initiate the reaction. This is the definition of activation energy.
C.) the kinetic energy of the reactants of a system after the reaction has begun: This option describes the kinetic energy of the reactants after the reaction has already started, which is not specific to activation energy.
D.) the total potential energy of the bonds of the reactants in a system: This option describes the potential energy of the reactant's bonds, which is not equivalent to activation energy.
Therefore, option B is the correct answer as it aligns with the definition that activation energy is the energy that must be added to a system to break the bonds of the reactants.