Hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide react to produce water and sodium chloride in an endothermic reaction. Which statement must be true of the reaction?(1 point)

Responses

The energy of each bond in water and sodium chloride is greater than the energy of each bond in hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide.
The energy of each bond in water and sodium chloride is greater than the energy of each bond in hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide.

The bond energy used to break the bonds in hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide is less than the energy released to form the bonds in water and sodium chloride.
The bond energy used to break the bonds in hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide is less than the energy released to form the bonds in water and sodium chloride.

The total bond energy of water and sodium chloride is greater than the total bond energy of hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide.
The total bond energy of water and sodium chloride is greater than the total bond energy of hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide.

More bond energy is absorbed on the reactants side than is released on the products side.

1 answer

In the scenario described, the key fact is that the reaction between hydrochloric acid (HCl) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) is said to be endothermic. This means that the reaction absorbs energy from the surroundings rather than releasing it.

Let's analyze the statements provided:

  1. The energy of each bond in water and sodium chloride is greater than the energy of each bond in hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide.

    • This is not necessarily true, as bond energies do not directly dictate whether a reaction is endothermic or exothermic.
  2. The bond energy used to break the bonds in hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide is less than the energy released to form the bonds in water and sodium chloride.

    • This is incorrect for an endothermic reaction. In an endothermic reaction, the energy needed to break the bonds in the reactants is greater than the energy released when new bonds are formed in the products.
  3. The total bond energy of water and sodium chloride is greater than the total bond energy of hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide.

    • This statement does not hold, as in an endothermic reaction, the total bond energy of the products is typically less than that of the reactants.
  4. More bond energy is absorbed on the reactants side than is released on the products side.

    • This statement is true, as it describes what occurs in an endothermic reaction: the process absorbs more energy to break bonds than is released when forming new bonds.

Therefore, the correct and true statement about this endothermic reaction is:

More bond energy is absorbed on the reactants side than is released on the products side.