Reaction profiles help us understand how energy changes when a chemical reaction happens. They show us the energy of starting materials (reactants) and what is made (products). These profiles also highlight important ideas like activation energy, exothermic reactions, and endothermic reactions.
Activation Energy: This is the amount of energy that reactants need to overcome to turn into products. You can see it as the tallest point on the profile.
Exothermic Reactions: In these reactions, energy is let out. This means the products have less energy than the reactants. A good example is burning wood. When we do this, heat is released, and it feels warm.
Endothermic Reactions: These reactions take in energy, which means the products end up having more energy than the reactants. A common example is photosynthesis. Here, plants soak up sunlight to change carbon dioxide and water into food (glucose).
In short, reaction profiles are really helpful for showing how energy changes during a chemical reaction!
Reaction profiles help us understand how energy changes when a chemical reaction happens. They show us the energy of starting materials (reactants) and what is made (products). These profiles also highlight important ideas like activation energy, exothermic reactions, and endothermic reactions.
Activation Energy: This is the amount of energy that reactants need to overcome to turn into products. You can see it as the tallest point on the profile.
Exothermic Reactions: In these reactions, energy is let out. This means the products have less energy than the reactants. A good example is burning wood. When we do this, heat is released, and it feels warm.
Endothermic Reactions: These reactions take in energy, which means the products end up having more energy than the reactants. A common example is photosynthesis. Here, plants soak up sunlight to change carbon dioxide and water into food (glucose).
In short, reaction profiles are really helpful for showing how energy changes during a chemical reaction!