Why is the enthalpy of the reactants greater than the enthalpy of the products in an exothermic reaction?
If it has something to do with the reactants having weaker bonds, why do weaker bonds have higher energy/enthalpy? It doesn't really make sense to me that weaker bonds have more energy... (on a side note, if someone could explain that too, please.)
some of the enthalpy converted to heat in the exothermic release.
But that would happen AFTER a reaction... Why would a reaction end up being expthermic if, originally, the enthalpy of the reactants are greater than the enthalpy of the products.
And also, why do weaker bonds have more enthalpy/energy?
In an exothermic reaction, the enthalpy of the reactants is higher than the enthalpy of the products. This is because the reaction releases energy in the form of heat. To understand why weaker bonds have higher energy or enthalpy, we need to delve into the concept of bond breaking and bond formation.
When a chemical reaction occurs, bonds between atoms in the reactants are broken, and new bonds are formed in the products. Breaking bonds requires energy, while forming bonds releases energy. The overall energy change in a reaction is the difference between the energy absorbed to break the bonds and the energy released when new bonds are formed.
Now, let's focus on the bonds in reactants and products. Strong bonds require more energy to break, while weak bonds require less energy. Therefore, when strong bonds in the reactant molecules are broken, a significant amount of energy is absorbed. On the other hand, when weaker bonds are formed in the product molecules, less energy is released. This leads to a net energy release or a decrease in enthalpy, resulting in an exothermic reaction.
To summarize, in an exothermic reaction, the enthalpy of the reactants is higher due to the presence of stronger bonds that require more energy to break. As these bonds are broken and weaker bonds are formed, energy is released, resulting in lower enthalpy for the products.
If you have any further questions or if anything is not clear, please let me know!