Here's a breakdown:
* Stored energy: When atoms form bonds to create molecules, they release energy. This energy becomes stored within the bonds themselves. This stored energy is called chemical potential energy.
* Released energy: To break a chemical bond, energy must be added. When a bond breaks, the stored energy is released, often as heat or light.
Examples:
* Burning fuel: The bonds in fuel molecules store energy. When the fuel burns (reacts with oxygen), the bonds break, releasing energy as heat and light.
* Photosynthesis: Plants capture light energy and use it to create bonds in sugar molecules, storing energy.
* Digestion: We break down food molecules, releasing stored energy to power our bodies.
Key points:
* Chemical processes are all about the making and breaking of chemical bonds.
* Energy is neither created nor destroyed in chemical reactions, but rather transformed from one form to another.
