The activation energy of a reaction represents:
A) the difference between the energy of the products and that of the reactants
B) the difference between the kinetic energy and the potential energy of the reactants
C) the energy released during the progress of a reaction
D) the energy barrier that the reactants must overcome to transform into products
E) the energy that is released only in the initial phase of any reaction in solution
IMAT 2025 · Question 42
Q42 - Kinetics and catalysis
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The correct answer is D) the energy barrier that the reactants must overcome to transform into products.
Activation energy is the barrier the reactants have to get over to become products: the climb from the reactants up to the top of the energy curve.
The difference between products and reactants (A) is ΔH, not Ea. Catalysts work by lowering Ea.
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