Final answer:
Energy is needed to break bonds—a process that's endothermic. Conversely, bond formation releases energy, making it an exothermic process. Bond energy denotes the energy needed to break a bond, equal to the energy released upon formation.
Step-by-step explanation:
Energy is required to break bonds, whereas energy is released when bonds are formed. During chemical reactions, the process of bond breaking is an endothermic process, which means it absorbs energy. On the other hand, bond making is an exothermic process, meaning it releases energy, often in the form of heat. This energy release occurs because atoms achieve a more stable, lower energy configuration when they participate in a bond.
Bond energy is the term used to describe the energy required to break the bond between two atoms. When a bond is formed, this is often referred to as bond-making, and it leads to a decrease in potential energy, meaning that overall, the system releases energy. It is worth noting that the same amount of energy required to break a bond is released when that bond is formed.