Advanced Placement (AP) Chemistry Practice Exam

Question: 1 / 400

What happens when bonds are broken?

Energy is conserved

Energy is released

Energy is absorbed

When bonds are broken, energy is absorbed. This is due to the fact that breaking chemical bonds requires an input of energy to overcome the attractive forces holding the atoms together. In order for a bond to break, the system must gain energy from its surroundings. This energy input is necessary to provide the requisite force to disrupt the bond, which results in the separation of the bonded atoms.

In contrast, processes that involve the formation of bonds release energy because the system moves to a lower energy state by forming a stable bond. Thus, breaking bonds is an endothermic process, which is why energy must be absorbed during this transition.

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Energy is neither gained nor lost

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