Q. 7.67 - An Introduction to General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry

Question

a. Why do chemical reactions require energy of activation ?

b. In an exothermic reaction, is the energy of the products higher or lower than that of the reactants?

c. Draw an energy diagram for an exothermic reaction.

Step-by-Step Solution

Answer

(a) To begin, you'll need activation energy. For reactants to move together, activation energy is required.

(b) In exothermic reaction the energy of product is lower than the reactant.

(c) Graph is given below.

Part(a) Step 1: Given information

We have to find out the why do chemical reactions require energy of activation.

Part(a) Step 2: Explanation

To begin, all chemical reactions, including exothermic reactions, require activation energy. Activation energy is needed for reactants to move together and start breaking bonds. The quantity of free energy that must be added to get from the energy level of the reactants to the energy level of the transition state is the activation energy for the forward reaction.

Part(b) Step 1: Given information

We have to find out that energy of products is higher or lower than reactants or not.

Part(b) Step 2: Explanation

We know that, In Exothermic reaction, the energy of the product is lower than the energy of the reactants. Therefore, in exothermic reactions, heat is released.

Part(c) Step 1: Given information

We have been given,

As per question demand we draw a graph of exothermic reaction.

Part(c) Step 2: Explanation

Now, we draw a graph of exothermic reaction,