Question

In an exothermic reaction:

A. The forward reaction is slower than the reverse reaction
B. the reaction rate will speed up with time.
C. the collision energy of the reactants will be greater than that of the products
D. the forward reaction will have a lower activation energy thant the reverse reaction.
E. the activation energy will change as the reaction progresses.

Answer 1

D. the forward reaction will have a lower activation energy than the reverse reaction.

Step-by-step explanation:

An exothermic reaction is one which is accompanied by the release of heat energy. In this case the products have a lower energy than that of the reactants.

Activation energy is the minimum amount of energy required to initial or start a chemical reaction. In exothermic reactions, the reactants are at a higher energy (relative to the products) to begin with. Hence, they would require a lower activation energy to overcome the energy barrier in order to form the products.