In this reaction _____.

Question

A scheme of a chemical reaction. The reactants are two molecules, one of which consists of A and B, and the other consists of C and D. The products are two molecules, one of which consists of A and C, and the other consists of B and D. The energy of molecules AB and CD is higher than the energy of molecules AC and BD.

CD is a product
the products have been rearranged to form reactants
entropy has decreased
the products have less potential energy than the reactants
AC is a reactant

Answer 1

Based on the description of the chemical reaction you provided, the correct interpretation is:

• The products have less potential energy than the reactants.

This conclusion is drawn from the statement that "the energy of molecules AB and CD is higher than the energy of molecules AC and BD." In a typical exothermic reaction, the products are at a lower energy state compared to the reactants, which aligns with this statement.

The other options can be evaluated as follows:

• CD is a product: This is incorrect; CD is a reactant in the described scheme.
• The products have been rearranged to form reactants: This is incorrect as the products resulted from the reactants; they do not reform the reactants in the described context.
• Entropy has decreased: There is no information provided that indicates a change in entropy, so we cannot confirm this.
• AC is a reactant: This is incorrect; AC is one of the products.

In summary, the statement that aligns with the information provided is that the products have less potential energy than the reactants.