reaction profiles

What is activation energy?

Activation energy is the minimum amount of energy needed for particles to react when they collide.

What does a reaction profile show?

A reaction profile shows:

• the energy of the reactants and products

• the activation energy

• the overall energy change of the reaction.

In an exothermic reaction profile, how does the energy of the products compare to the reactants?

The products have less energy than the reactants.

What happens to energy when bonds are broken and formed?

Breaking bonds → energy is taken in.
Making bonds → energy is released.

In an exothermic reaction, how does the energy released when bonds form compare to the energy needed to break bonds?

The energy released from making bonds is greater than the energy needed to break bonds.
→ So overall, energy is released.

In an endothermic reaction, how does the energy of the products compare with the reactants?

The products have more energy than the reactants.

In an endothermic reaction, how does the energy needed to break bonds compare with the energy released when bonds form?

The energy needed to break bonds is greater than the energy released when bonds form.