Vinegar (acetic acid) and baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) react and the surroundings experiences a

Question

decrease in temperature. Which statement would best describe this as an endothermic reaction?
(2 points)
The potential energy of the reactants is greater than the potential energy of the reactants.
There is not change in net energy for either the products or the reactants.
The reaction is a special type of double replacement reaction that is called neutralization.
This is an exothermic reaction not an endothermic reaction.

Answer 1

To describe the reaction between vinegar (acetic acid) and baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) as an endothermic reaction, the best statement would be:

The potential energy of the reactants is greater than the potential energy of the products.

This statement reflects that during an endothermic reaction, the system absorbs energy from the surroundings, resulting in a temperature decrease. However, it's worth noting that this specific sentence may not fully encompass the situation as expected, since typically, one would say the potential energy of the products is greater than that of the reactants in an endothermic reaction. Given the options available, the focus should be on the nature of energy absorption and temperature change.

However, note that the expected answer behaviorally aligns with the statement: the surroundings cool down indicating that energy is absorbed from them, consistent with an endothermic process.