Practice Problem: Energy Diagrams

The video tutorial explains energy diagrams, focusing on a two-step exothermic reaction. It covers the importance of energy diagrams in understanding thermodynamics and kinetics, and guides viewers on how to draw such diagrams. Key concepts include potential energy, activation energy, and the rate determining step, emphasizing that the first step's activation energy must be greater for it to be the rate determining step.

What is the primary purpose of an energy diagram in the context of chemical reactions?

• To determine the color change in a reaction

• To calculate the speed of a reaction

• To illustrate the potential energy changes throughout a reaction

• To measure the temperature change during a reaction

In an exothermic reaction, how should the energy levels of products and reactants be positioned on an energy diagram?

• Products should be at the midpoint between reactants and the transition state

• Products should be lower than reactants

• Products should be higher than reactants

• Products and reactants should be at the same level

What does the term 'activation energy' refer to in a chemical reaction?

• The energy required to start a reaction

• The energy absorbed by the products

• The energy released during a reaction

• The energy needed to maintain a reaction

Why is the first step considered the rate-determining step in a two-step reaction?

• It is the fastest step in the reaction

• It involves the most complex molecules

• It has the largest activation energy

• It has the highest concentration of reactants

What effect does a larger activation energy have on the rate of a reaction?

• It speeds up the reaction

• It has no effect on the reaction rate

• It slows down the reaction

• It causes the reaction to stop