Question

In respiration,energy is released when oxygen and glucose react to make carbon dioxide and water, according to this equation:

CO₂ ₊ H₂O → C₆H₁₂O₆ ₊ O₂
Explain
why this reaction is an exothermic reaction, you should refer to bonds in your answer

Answer 1

The reaction CO₂ + H₂O → C₆H₁₂O₆ + O₂ is exothermic because it releases energy. The energy is released because the bonds in the products (C₆H₁₂O₆ and O₂) are stronger than the bonds in the reactants (CO₂ and H₂O). Specifically, the reaction releases energy because the bonds between carbon and oxygen in CO₂ and the bonds between hydrogen and oxygen in H₂O are weaker than the bonds between carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen in C₆H₁₂O₆ and the bonds between oxygen atoms in O₂