Question

Consider the reaction pathway below.

Which is true about the potential energy of the reactants in this reaction pathway?
It is greater than the potential energy of the products.
It is less than the potential energy of the products.
It is equal to the potential energy of the products.
It is half of the potential energy of the products.

Answer 1

It is greater than the potential energy of the products.

Answer 2

It is greater than the potential energy of the products.

Step-by-step explanation:

• The graph shown the potential energy diagram of the reaction "reaction pathway".

• X-axis represents the reaction progress, the transformation from the reactants to the products passing via the transition state.

• Y-axis represents the potential energy of the reactants and the products and also the intermediate.

• As clear from the attached image "A + B" represents the position of the reactants of the reaction and "C" represents the position of the products of the reaction.

• It is obvious that the energy of the reactants is greater than the potential energy of the products.

So, the right choice is: It is greater than the potential energy of the products.