Final answer:
C2H6 has more chemical energy than C2H4 and H2 because it contains weaker single bonds that release less energy when broken compared to the stronger double bonds in C2H4 and H2.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question at hand is dealing with chemical energy and its comparison between different compounds involved in a chemical reaction. In the context of the given information, the key concept to consider is the relationship between bond energies and the enthalpy changes during the formation or breaking of bonds. Ethane (C₂H₆) consists of single C-C and C-H bonds, whereas ethene (C₂H₄) consists of a double bond between carbon atoms alongside C-H bonds. The formation of a double bond releases more energy compared to a single bond, which implies that breaking a double bond in C₂H₄ would require more energy than breaking the single bonds in C₂H₆.
In the context of chemical reactions, breaking bonds is an endothermic process while forming bonds is an exothermic process. Since more energy is released when forming stronger (double) bonds, the reagents with stronger bonds will generally have less chemical potential energy stored in them compared to those with weaker bonds. Therefore, it is generally true that C₂H₆ has more chemical energy than C₂H₄ and H₂, as to break C₂H₆ down, less energy would be released compared to breaking down C₂H₄ and H₂, which possess stronger bonds.