1.4.2

Bond Breaking and Making

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Bond Breaking and Making

The basis of chemical reactions is a series of bond breaking and making.

Illustrative background for Bond enthalpiesIllustrative background for Bond enthalpies ?? "content

Bond enthalpies

  • During a reaction, some chemical bonds must be broken and made.
  • The energy to break or make a bond is known as the bond enthalpy.
    • Energy is needed to break a bond so it is an endothermic process.
    • Energy is given off when a bond is made so it is an exothermic process.
  • The enthalpy change of a reaction is a sum of the individual bond enthalpies being broken and made during the reaction.
Illustrative background for The dominating termIllustrative background for The dominating term ?? "content

The dominating term

  • During a chemical reaction, we must determine whether the reaction requires more energy to break bonds or to make bonds.
    • This will give an overall reaction enthalpy that is either positive or negative.
Illustrative background for Endothermic vs exothermicIllustrative background for Endothermic vs exothermic ?? "content

Endothermic vs exothermic

  • Since bond breaking is endothermic and bond making is exothermic:
    • More energy required to break bonds in a reaction will lead to an overall endothermic reaction.
    • More energy released making bonds in a reaction will lead to an overall exothermic reaction.

Jump to other topics

1Physical Chemistry

2Physical Chemistry 2 (A2 Only)

3Inorganic Chemistry

4Inorganic Chemistry 2 (A2 Only)

5Organic Chemistry 1

6Organic Chemistry 2 (A2 Only)

6.1Optical Isomerism (A2 Only)

6.2Aldehydes & Ketones (A2 Only)

6.3Carboxylic Acids & Esters (A2 Only)

6.4Aromatic Chemistry (A2 Only)

6.5Amines (A2 Only)

6.6Polymers (A2 Only)

6.7Biological Organic (A2 Only)

6.8Organic Synthesis (A2 Only)

6.9NMR Spectroscopy (A2 Only)

6.10Chromatography (A2 Only)

6.11A-A* (AO3/4) - Organic 2

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