What is meant by electrons moving to lower potential energy?Do electrons go to even lower ground states after...

What does the "ep" capability mean?

Fizzy, soft, pop and still drinks

How does a program know if stdout is connected to a terminal or a pipe?

Seemingly unused edef prior to an ifx mysteriously affects the outcome of the ifx. Why?

Critique of timeline aesthetic

What is the strongest case that can be made in favour of the UK regaining some control over fishing policy after Brexit?

Why does processed meat contain preservatives, while canned fish needs not?

Rivers without rain

US visa is under administrative processing, I need the passport back ASAP

Is there really no use for MD5 anymore?

Can SQL Server create collisions in system generated constraint names?

How did Captain America manage to do this?

Why do Computer Science majors learn Calculus?

Realistic Necromancy?

Which big number is bigger?

Does holding a wand and speaking its command word count as V/S/M spell components?

What was the first Intel x86 processor with "Base + Index * Scale + Displacement" addressing mode?

a sore throat vs a strep throat vs strep throat

Do I have to worry about players making “bad” choices on level up?

Is the 5 MB static resource size limit 5,242,880 bytes or 5,000,000 bytes?

Was there a shared-world project before "Thieves World"?

Examples of subgroups where it's nontrivial to show closure under multiplication?

French for 'It must be my imagination'?

Why is it that the natural deduction method can't test for invalidity?



What is meant by electrons moving to lower potential energy?


Do electrons go to even lower ground states after exothermic reactions?What is the energy package released to the outside world?What is the difference between enthalpy of formation and Gibbs free energy of formation?What value of temperature does T represent in Gibbs Free Energy Equation?For what is reaction enthalpy more relevant than reaction free energy?Do the products in exothermic reactions have higher kinetic energy than the products? Do they also have lower chemical energy?Can a reaction of the form A + B → AB ever be endothermic?













3












$begingroup$


I am currently learning about chemical bonds in chemistry, and came across somebody who wrote this (source):



"Chemical bonds certainly "contain" potential energy, and the atoms want to move to a lower potential energy (become more stable).



When methane,
CH
4
, forms, the valence electrons end up in more stable (lower energy) C-H bonds.



These bonds are fairly strong, so methane is relatively inert.



However, if you add energy to the methane in the form of a flame or a spark in the presence of oxygen, some of the molecules will have enough energy to overcome an activation energy barrier.



Some of the
C-H
bonds will break.



The electrons can then enter an even lower energy state by forming
C=O
and
O-H
bonds rather than staying as
C-H
and
O=O
bonds."



What is meant by this? What does it mean when electrons enter a lower energy state, do they move to an even lower ground state?










share|improve this question











$endgroup$












  • $begingroup$
    Potential energy of the electrons has not much to do with the potential energy of the molecule in a reaction. Think then, Krypton or Xenon must be very unstable!
    $endgroup$
    – William R. Ebenezer
    yesterday










  • $begingroup$
    So when methane enters an even lower energy state (forming C=O and O=H), it has less potential energy, right? Do the electrons also enter a lower potential energy state?
    $endgroup$
    – Christopher U'Ren
    yesterday
















3












$begingroup$


I am currently learning about chemical bonds in chemistry, and came across somebody who wrote this (source):



"Chemical bonds certainly "contain" potential energy, and the atoms want to move to a lower potential energy (become more stable).



When methane,
CH
4
, forms, the valence electrons end up in more stable (lower energy) C-H bonds.



These bonds are fairly strong, so methane is relatively inert.



However, if you add energy to the methane in the form of a flame or a spark in the presence of oxygen, some of the molecules will have enough energy to overcome an activation energy barrier.



Some of the
C-H
bonds will break.



The electrons can then enter an even lower energy state by forming
C=O
and
O-H
bonds rather than staying as
C-H
and
O=O
bonds."



What is meant by this? What does it mean when electrons enter a lower energy state, do they move to an even lower ground state?










share|improve this question











$endgroup$












  • $begingroup$
    Potential energy of the electrons has not much to do with the potential energy of the molecule in a reaction. Think then, Krypton or Xenon must be very unstable!
    $endgroup$
    – William R. Ebenezer
    yesterday










  • $begingroup$
    So when methane enters an even lower energy state (forming C=O and O=H), it has less potential energy, right? Do the electrons also enter a lower potential energy state?
    $endgroup$
    – Christopher U'Ren
    yesterday














3












3








3





$begingroup$


I am currently learning about chemical bonds in chemistry, and came across somebody who wrote this (source):



"Chemical bonds certainly "contain" potential energy, and the atoms want to move to a lower potential energy (become more stable).



When methane,
CH
4
, forms, the valence electrons end up in more stable (lower energy) C-H bonds.



These bonds are fairly strong, so methane is relatively inert.



However, if you add energy to the methane in the form of a flame or a spark in the presence of oxygen, some of the molecules will have enough energy to overcome an activation energy barrier.



Some of the
C-H
bonds will break.



The electrons can then enter an even lower energy state by forming
C=O
and
O-H
bonds rather than staying as
C-H
and
O=O
bonds."



What is meant by this? What does it mean when electrons enter a lower energy state, do they move to an even lower ground state?










share|improve this question











$endgroup$




I am currently learning about chemical bonds in chemistry, and came across somebody who wrote this (source):



"Chemical bonds certainly "contain" potential energy, and the atoms want to move to a lower potential energy (become more stable).



When methane,
CH
4
, forms, the valence electrons end up in more stable (lower energy) C-H bonds.



These bonds are fairly strong, so methane is relatively inert.



However, if you add energy to the methane in the form of a flame or a spark in the presence of oxygen, some of the molecules will have enough energy to overcome an activation energy barrier.



Some of the
C-H
bonds will break.



The electrons can then enter an even lower energy state by forming
C=O
and
O-H
bonds rather than staying as
C-H
and
O=O
bonds."



What is meant by this? What does it mean when electrons enter a lower energy state, do they move to an even lower ground state?







enthalpy






share|improve this question















share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited yesterday









Karsten Theis

5,164644




5,164644










asked yesterday









Christopher U'RenChristopher U'Ren

10916




10916












  • $begingroup$
    Potential energy of the electrons has not much to do with the potential energy of the molecule in a reaction. Think then, Krypton or Xenon must be very unstable!
    $endgroup$
    – William R. Ebenezer
    yesterday










  • $begingroup$
    So when methane enters an even lower energy state (forming C=O and O=H), it has less potential energy, right? Do the electrons also enter a lower potential energy state?
    $endgroup$
    – Christopher U'Ren
    yesterday


















  • $begingroup$
    Potential energy of the electrons has not much to do with the potential energy of the molecule in a reaction. Think then, Krypton or Xenon must be very unstable!
    $endgroup$
    – William R. Ebenezer
    yesterday










  • $begingroup$
    So when methane enters an even lower energy state (forming C=O and O=H), it has less potential energy, right? Do the electrons also enter a lower potential energy state?
    $endgroup$
    – Christopher U'Ren
    yesterday
















$begingroup$
Potential energy of the electrons has not much to do with the potential energy of the molecule in a reaction. Think then, Krypton or Xenon must be very unstable!
$endgroup$
– William R. Ebenezer
yesterday




$begingroup$
Potential energy of the electrons has not much to do with the potential energy of the molecule in a reaction. Think then, Krypton or Xenon must be very unstable!
$endgroup$
– William R. Ebenezer
yesterday












$begingroup$
So when methane enters an even lower energy state (forming C=O and O=H), it has less potential energy, right? Do the electrons also enter a lower potential energy state?
$endgroup$
– Christopher U'Ren
yesterday




$begingroup$
So when methane enters an even lower energy state (forming C=O and O=H), it has less potential energy, right? Do the electrons also enter a lower potential energy state?
$endgroup$
– Christopher U'Ren
yesterday










1 Answer
1






active

oldest

votes


















4












$begingroup$


What is meant by electrons moving to lower potential energy?




In a chemical reaction, the electronic states in the reactants are different from the electronic states of the products because the atoms are arranged differently into molecules. Lower potential energy of the electrons is associated with stronger bonds. When the products have stronger bonds than the reactants, energy is released in the reaction (exothermic). Conversely, when the bonds of the reactants are stronger than the bonds of the products, energy is absorbed in the reaction (endothermic).




do they move to an even lower ground state?




Yes. For example, the ground state in the hydrogen molecule $ce{H2}$ is lower than in the hydrogen atom $ce{H.}$ (because there is more room for the electrons as they are interacting with two nuclei instead of one). If you want to break the molecule into atoms, you have to provide energy to move the atoms apart (i.e. break the bond) because separating them will result in a higher ground state. For molecules reacting to other molecules, the energy balance depends on the relative strength of the bonds (and the number of bonds).



Follow-up questions




[OP's comment]: Could you just elaborate on the part where you say "because there is more room for the electrons as they are interacting with two nuclei instead of one"? Why does the ground state get lower because of that?




This might be jumping ahead a bit too much, but electrons don't get closer and closer to the nuclei (even when that would increase interactions) because "they don't like to be pinned down" (Heisenberg's uncertainty principle). If an electron can keep the same average distance to the nuclei but occupy a large space, it will lower its energy. This is reflected in the color of molecules with conjugated double bonds (carotene in carrots, for example), and also in a model called particle in a box. One analogy is strings of different length in music, where longer strings produce a lower pitch (lower energy) and short strings produce a higher pitch (higher energy).




[OP's comment]: I read this online. It talks about how the bonds formed in the products after exothermic reactions have lower potential energy. Is it the electrons which have lower potential energy or the new molecule? This answer states that it's the electrons which have lower potential energy, which one is more correct?




Typically, adjectives for bonds are strong or weak. If you are actually measuring an energy, it is the energy of the entire molecule. The reason energies are different is because the electrons have different energies (nothing happens in the nuclei). So saying electrons have lower potential energy makes the most sense to me. Distinct bonds don't really exist anyway, we just use them for making sense of the molecular properties.




[OP's comment]: So are bond strength and energy of the entire molecule both dependent on the electron energy?




Yes, much of chemistry is about the electrons. Chemical bonds and intermolecular interactions both are a reflection of "what the electrons are doing", and chemical reactions go along with "electrons doing something new", so knowing the electronic states of the molecules carries enormous predictive power.






share|improve this answer











$endgroup$













  • $begingroup$
    Thanks for the very useful answer. Could you just elaborate on the part where you say "because there is more room for the electrons as they are interacting with two nuclei instead of one"? Why does the ground state get lower because of that?
    $endgroup$
    – Christopher U'Ren
    yesterday






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    This might be jumping ahead a bit too much, but electrons don't get closer and closer to the nuclei (even when that would increase interactions) because "they don't like to be pinned down" (Heisenberg's uncertainty principle). If an electron can keep the same average distance to the nuclei but occupy a large space, it will lower its energy. This is reflected in the color of molecules with conjugated double bonds (carotene in carrots, for example), and also in a model called particle in a box. The analogy is strings of different length in music
    $endgroup$
    – Karsten Theis
    yesterday










  • $begingroup$
    Thanks a lot for that. Just one more thing I want to clarify. I read this online socratic.org/questions/how-do-chemical-bonds-store-energy . It talks about how the bonds formed in the products after exothermic reactions have lower potential energy. This question may sound stupid, but is it the electrons which have lower potential energy or the new molecule? This answer states that it's the electrons which have lower potential energy socratic.org/questions/…, which one is more correct? Thanks so much
    $endgroup$
    – Christopher U'Ren
    yesterday








  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Typically, adjectives for bonds are strong or weak. If you are actually measuring an energy, it is the energy of the entire molecule. The reason energies are different is because the electrons have different energies (nothing happens in the nuclei). So saying electrons have lower potential energy makes the most sense to me. Distinct bonds don't really exist anyway, we just use them for making sense of the molecular properties.
    $endgroup$
    – Karsten Theis
    yesterday






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    okay, so are bond strength and energy of the entire molecule both dependent on the electron energy?
    $endgroup$
    – Christopher U'Ren
    yesterday












Your Answer








StackExchange.ready(function() {
var channelOptions = {
tags: "".split(" "),
id: "431"
};
initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);

StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function() {
// Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled) {
StackExchange.using("snippets", function() {
createEditor();
});
}
else {
createEditor();
}
});

function createEditor() {
StackExchange.prepareEditor({
heartbeatType: 'answer',
autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
convertImagesToLinks: false,
noModals: true,
showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
reputationToPostImages: null,
bindNavPrevention: true,
postfix: "",
imageUploader: {
brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
allowUrls: true
},
onDemand: true,
discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
});


}
});














draft saved

draft discarded


















StackExchange.ready(
function () {
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fchemistry.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f114347%2fwhat-is-meant-by-electrons-moving-to-lower-potential-energy%23new-answer', 'question_page');
}
);

Post as a guest















Required, but never shown

























1 Answer
1






active

oldest

votes








1 Answer
1






active

oldest

votes









active

oldest

votes






active

oldest

votes









4












$begingroup$


What is meant by electrons moving to lower potential energy?




In a chemical reaction, the electronic states in the reactants are different from the electronic states of the products because the atoms are arranged differently into molecules. Lower potential energy of the electrons is associated with stronger bonds. When the products have stronger bonds than the reactants, energy is released in the reaction (exothermic). Conversely, when the bonds of the reactants are stronger than the bonds of the products, energy is absorbed in the reaction (endothermic).




do they move to an even lower ground state?




Yes. For example, the ground state in the hydrogen molecule $ce{H2}$ is lower than in the hydrogen atom $ce{H.}$ (because there is more room for the electrons as they are interacting with two nuclei instead of one). If you want to break the molecule into atoms, you have to provide energy to move the atoms apart (i.e. break the bond) because separating them will result in a higher ground state. For molecules reacting to other molecules, the energy balance depends on the relative strength of the bonds (and the number of bonds).



Follow-up questions




[OP's comment]: Could you just elaborate on the part where you say "because there is more room for the electrons as they are interacting with two nuclei instead of one"? Why does the ground state get lower because of that?




This might be jumping ahead a bit too much, but electrons don't get closer and closer to the nuclei (even when that would increase interactions) because "they don't like to be pinned down" (Heisenberg's uncertainty principle). If an electron can keep the same average distance to the nuclei but occupy a large space, it will lower its energy. This is reflected in the color of molecules with conjugated double bonds (carotene in carrots, for example), and also in a model called particle in a box. One analogy is strings of different length in music, where longer strings produce a lower pitch (lower energy) and short strings produce a higher pitch (higher energy).




[OP's comment]: I read this online. It talks about how the bonds formed in the products after exothermic reactions have lower potential energy. Is it the electrons which have lower potential energy or the new molecule? This answer states that it's the electrons which have lower potential energy, which one is more correct?




Typically, adjectives for bonds are strong or weak. If you are actually measuring an energy, it is the energy of the entire molecule. The reason energies are different is because the electrons have different energies (nothing happens in the nuclei). So saying electrons have lower potential energy makes the most sense to me. Distinct bonds don't really exist anyway, we just use them for making sense of the molecular properties.




[OP's comment]: So are bond strength and energy of the entire molecule both dependent on the electron energy?




Yes, much of chemistry is about the electrons. Chemical bonds and intermolecular interactions both are a reflection of "what the electrons are doing", and chemical reactions go along with "electrons doing something new", so knowing the electronic states of the molecules carries enormous predictive power.






share|improve this answer











$endgroup$













  • $begingroup$
    Thanks for the very useful answer. Could you just elaborate on the part where you say "because there is more room for the electrons as they are interacting with two nuclei instead of one"? Why does the ground state get lower because of that?
    $endgroup$
    – Christopher U'Ren
    yesterday






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    This might be jumping ahead a bit too much, but electrons don't get closer and closer to the nuclei (even when that would increase interactions) because "they don't like to be pinned down" (Heisenberg's uncertainty principle). If an electron can keep the same average distance to the nuclei but occupy a large space, it will lower its energy. This is reflected in the color of molecules with conjugated double bonds (carotene in carrots, for example), and also in a model called particle in a box. The analogy is strings of different length in music
    $endgroup$
    – Karsten Theis
    yesterday










  • $begingroup$
    Thanks a lot for that. Just one more thing I want to clarify. I read this online socratic.org/questions/how-do-chemical-bonds-store-energy . It talks about how the bonds formed in the products after exothermic reactions have lower potential energy. This question may sound stupid, but is it the electrons which have lower potential energy or the new molecule? This answer states that it's the electrons which have lower potential energy socratic.org/questions/…, which one is more correct? Thanks so much
    $endgroup$
    – Christopher U'Ren
    yesterday








  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Typically, adjectives for bonds are strong or weak. If you are actually measuring an energy, it is the energy of the entire molecule. The reason energies are different is because the electrons have different energies (nothing happens in the nuclei). So saying electrons have lower potential energy makes the most sense to me. Distinct bonds don't really exist anyway, we just use them for making sense of the molecular properties.
    $endgroup$
    – Karsten Theis
    yesterday






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    okay, so are bond strength and energy of the entire molecule both dependent on the electron energy?
    $endgroup$
    – Christopher U'Ren
    yesterday
















4












$begingroup$


What is meant by electrons moving to lower potential energy?




In a chemical reaction, the electronic states in the reactants are different from the electronic states of the products because the atoms are arranged differently into molecules. Lower potential energy of the electrons is associated with stronger bonds. When the products have stronger bonds than the reactants, energy is released in the reaction (exothermic). Conversely, when the bonds of the reactants are stronger than the bonds of the products, energy is absorbed in the reaction (endothermic).




do they move to an even lower ground state?




Yes. For example, the ground state in the hydrogen molecule $ce{H2}$ is lower than in the hydrogen atom $ce{H.}$ (because there is more room for the electrons as they are interacting with two nuclei instead of one). If you want to break the molecule into atoms, you have to provide energy to move the atoms apart (i.e. break the bond) because separating them will result in a higher ground state. For molecules reacting to other molecules, the energy balance depends on the relative strength of the bonds (and the number of bonds).



Follow-up questions




[OP's comment]: Could you just elaborate on the part where you say "because there is more room for the electrons as they are interacting with two nuclei instead of one"? Why does the ground state get lower because of that?




This might be jumping ahead a bit too much, but electrons don't get closer and closer to the nuclei (even when that would increase interactions) because "they don't like to be pinned down" (Heisenberg's uncertainty principle). If an electron can keep the same average distance to the nuclei but occupy a large space, it will lower its energy. This is reflected in the color of molecules with conjugated double bonds (carotene in carrots, for example), and also in a model called particle in a box. One analogy is strings of different length in music, where longer strings produce a lower pitch (lower energy) and short strings produce a higher pitch (higher energy).




[OP's comment]: I read this online. It talks about how the bonds formed in the products after exothermic reactions have lower potential energy. Is it the electrons which have lower potential energy or the new molecule? This answer states that it's the electrons which have lower potential energy, which one is more correct?




Typically, adjectives for bonds are strong or weak. If you are actually measuring an energy, it is the energy of the entire molecule. The reason energies are different is because the electrons have different energies (nothing happens in the nuclei). So saying electrons have lower potential energy makes the most sense to me. Distinct bonds don't really exist anyway, we just use them for making sense of the molecular properties.




[OP's comment]: So are bond strength and energy of the entire molecule both dependent on the electron energy?




Yes, much of chemistry is about the electrons. Chemical bonds and intermolecular interactions both are a reflection of "what the electrons are doing", and chemical reactions go along with "electrons doing something new", so knowing the electronic states of the molecules carries enormous predictive power.






share|improve this answer











$endgroup$













  • $begingroup$
    Thanks for the very useful answer. Could you just elaborate on the part where you say "because there is more room for the electrons as they are interacting with two nuclei instead of one"? Why does the ground state get lower because of that?
    $endgroup$
    – Christopher U'Ren
    yesterday






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    This might be jumping ahead a bit too much, but electrons don't get closer and closer to the nuclei (even when that would increase interactions) because "they don't like to be pinned down" (Heisenberg's uncertainty principle). If an electron can keep the same average distance to the nuclei but occupy a large space, it will lower its energy. This is reflected in the color of molecules with conjugated double bonds (carotene in carrots, for example), and also in a model called particle in a box. The analogy is strings of different length in music
    $endgroup$
    – Karsten Theis
    yesterday










  • $begingroup$
    Thanks a lot for that. Just one more thing I want to clarify. I read this online socratic.org/questions/how-do-chemical-bonds-store-energy . It talks about how the bonds formed in the products after exothermic reactions have lower potential energy. This question may sound stupid, but is it the electrons which have lower potential energy or the new molecule? This answer states that it's the electrons which have lower potential energy socratic.org/questions/…, which one is more correct? Thanks so much
    $endgroup$
    – Christopher U'Ren
    yesterday








  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Typically, adjectives for bonds are strong or weak. If you are actually measuring an energy, it is the energy of the entire molecule. The reason energies are different is because the electrons have different energies (nothing happens in the nuclei). So saying electrons have lower potential energy makes the most sense to me. Distinct bonds don't really exist anyway, we just use them for making sense of the molecular properties.
    $endgroup$
    – Karsten Theis
    yesterday






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    okay, so are bond strength and energy of the entire molecule both dependent on the electron energy?
    $endgroup$
    – Christopher U'Ren
    yesterday














4












4








4





$begingroup$


What is meant by electrons moving to lower potential energy?




In a chemical reaction, the electronic states in the reactants are different from the electronic states of the products because the atoms are arranged differently into molecules. Lower potential energy of the electrons is associated with stronger bonds. When the products have stronger bonds than the reactants, energy is released in the reaction (exothermic). Conversely, when the bonds of the reactants are stronger than the bonds of the products, energy is absorbed in the reaction (endothermic).




do they move to an even lower ground state?




Yes. For example, the ground state in the hydrogen molecule $ce{H2}$ is lower than in the hydrogen atom $ce{H.}$ (because there is more room for the electrons as they are interacting with two nuclei instead of one). If you want to break the molecule into atoms, you have to provide energy to move the atoms apart (i.e. break the bond) because separating them will result in a higher ground state. For molecules reacting to other molecules, the energy balance depends on the relative strength of the bonds (and the number of bonds).



Follow-up questions




[OP's comment]: Could you just elaborate on the part where you say "because there is more room for the electrons as they are interacting with two nuclei instead of one"? Why does the ground state get lower because of that?




This might be jumping ahead a bit too much, but electrons don't get closer and closer to the nuclei (even when that would increase interactions) because "they don't like to be pinned down" (Heisenberg's uncertainty principle). If an electron can keep the same average distance to the nuclei but occupy a large space, it will lower its energy. This is reflected in the color of molecules with conjugated double bonds (carotene in carrots, for example), and also in a model called particle in a box. One analogy is strings of different length in music, where longer strings produce a lower pitch (lower energy) and short strings produce a higher pitch (higher energy).




[OP's comment]: I read this online. It talks about how the bonds formed in the products after exothermic reactions have lower potential energy. Is it the electrons which have lower potential energy or the new molecule? This answer states that it's the electrons which have lower potential energy, which one is more correct?




Typically, adjectives for bonds are strong or weak. If you are actually measuring an energy, it is the energy of the entire molecule. The reason energies are different is because the electrons have different energies (nothing happens in the nuclei). So saying electrons have lower potential energy makes the most sense to me. Distinct bonds don't really exist anyway, we just use them for making sense of the molecular properties.




[OP's comment]: So are bond strength and energy of the entire molecule both dependent on the electron energy?




Yes, much of chemistry is about the electrons. Chemical bonds and intermolecular interactions both are a reflection of "what the electrons are doing", and chemical reactions go along with "electrons doing something new", so knowing the electronic states of the molecules carries enormous predictive power.






share|improve this answer











$endgroup$




What is meant by electrons moving to lower potential energy?




In a chemical reaction, the electronic states in the reactants are different from the electronic states of the products because the atoms are arranged differently into molecules. Lower potential energy of the electrons is associated with stronger bonds. When the products have stronger bonds than the reactants, energy is released in the reaction (exothermic). Conversely, when the bonds of the reactants are stronger than the bonds of the products, energy is absorbed in the reaction (endothermic).




do they move to an even lower ground state?




Yes. For example, the ground state in the hydrogen molecule $ce{H2}$ is lower than in the hydrogen atom $ce{H.}$ (because there is more room for the electrons as they are interacting with two nuclei instead of one). If you want to break the molecule into atoms, you have to provide energy to move the atoms apart (i.e. break the bond) because separating them will result in a higher ground state. For molecules reacting to other molecules, the energy balance depends on the relative strength of the bonds (and the number of bonds).



Follow-up questions




[OP's comment]: Could you just elaborate on the part where you say "because there is more room for the electrons as they are interacting with two nuclei instead of one"? Why does the ground state get lower because of that?




This might be jumping ahead a bit too much, but electrons don't get closer and closer to the nuclei (even when that would increase interactions) because "they don't like to be pinned down" (Heisenberg's uncertainty principle). If an electron can keep the same average distance to the nuclei but occupy a large space, it will lower its energy. This is reflected in the color of molecules with conjugated double bonds (carotene in carrots, for example), and also in a model called particle in a box. One analogy is strings of different length in music, where longer strings produce a lower pitch (lower energy) and short strings produce a higher pitch (higher energy).




[OP's comment]: I read this online. It talks about how the bonds formed in the products after exothermic reactions have lower potential energy. Is it the electrons which have lower potential energy or the new molecule? This answer states that it's the electrons which have lower potential energy, which one is more correct?




Typically, adjectives for bonds are strong or weak. If you are actually measuring an energy, it is the energy of the entire molecule. The reason energies are different is because the electrons have different energies (nothing happens in the nuclei). So saying electrons have lower potential energy makes the most sense to me. Distinct bonds don't really exist anyway, we just use them for making sense of the molecular properties.




[OP's comment]: So are bond strength and energy of the entire molecule both dependent on the electron energy?




Yes, much of chemistry is about the electrons. Chemical bonds and intermolecular interactions both are a reflection of "what the electrons are doing", and chemical reactions go along with "electrons doing something new", so knowing the electronic states of the molecules carries enormous predictive power.







share|improve this answer














share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer








edited yesterday

























answered yesterday









Karsten TheisKarsten Theis

5,164644




5,164644












  • $begingroup$
    Thanks for the very useful answer. Could you just elaborate on the part where you say "because there is more room for the electrons as they are interacting with two nuclei instead of one"? Why does the ground state get lower because of that?
    $endgroup$
    – Christopher U'Ren
    yesterday






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    This might be jumping ahead a bit too much, but electrons don't get closer and closer to the nuclei (even when that would increase interactions) because "they don't like to be pinned down" (Heisenberg's uncertainty principle). If an electron can keep the same average distance to the nuclei but occupy a large space, it will lower its energy. This is reflected in the color of molecules with conjugated double bonds (carotene in carrots, for example), and also in a model called particle in a box. The analogy is strings of different length in music
    $endgroup$
    – Karsten Theis
    yesterday










  • $begingroup$
    Thanks a lot for that. Just one more thing I want to clarify. I read this online socratic.org/questions/how-do-chemical-bonds-store-energy . It talks about how the bonds formed in the products after exothermic reactions have lower potential energy. This question may sound stupid, but is it the electrons which have lower potential energy or the new molecule? This answer states that it's the electrons which have lower potential energy socratic.org/questions/…, which one is more correct? Thanks so much
    $endgroup$
    – Christopher U'Ren
    yesterday








  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Typically, adjectives for bonds are strong or weak. If you are actually measuring an energy, it is the energy of the entire molecule. The reason energies are different is because the electrons have different energies (nothing happens in the nuclei). So saying electrons have lower potential energy makes the most sense to me. Distinct bonds don't really exist anyway, we just use them for making sense of the molecular properties.
    $endgroup$
    – Karsten Theis
    yesterday






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    okay, so are bond strength and energy of the entire molecule both dependent on the electron energy?
    $endgroup$
    – Christopher U'Ren
    yesterday


















  • $begingroup$
    Thanks for the very useful answer. Could you just elaborate on the part where you say "because there is more room for the electrons as they are interacting with two nuclei instead of one"? Why does the ground state get lower because of that?
    $endgroup$
    – Christopher U'Ren
    yesterday






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    This might be jumping ahead a bit too much, but electrons don't get closer and closer to the nuclei (even when that would increase interactions) because "they don't like to be pinned down" (Heisenberg's uncertainty principle). If an electron can keep the same average distance to the nuclei but occupy a large space, it will lower its energy. This is reflected in the color of molecules with conjugated double bonds (carotene in carrots, for example), and also in a model called particle in a box. The analogy is strings of different length in music
    $endgroup$
    – Karsten Theis
    yesterday










  • $begingroup$
    Thanks a lot for that. Just one more thing I want to clarify. I read this online socratic.org/questions/how-do-chemical-bonds-store-energy . It talks about how the bonds formed in the products after exothermic reactions have lower potential energy. This question may sound stupid, but is it the electrons which have lower potential energy or the new molecule? This answer states that it's the electrons which have lower potential energy socratic.org/questions/…, which one is more correct? Thanks so much
    $endgroup$
    – Christopher U'Ren
    yesterday








  • 1




    $begingroup$
    Typically, adjectives for bonds are strong or weak. If you are actually measuring an energy, it is the energy of the entire molecule. The reason energies are different is because the electrons have different energies (nothing happens in the nuclei). So saying electrons have lower potential energy makes the most sense to me. Distinct bonds don't really exist anyway, we just use them for making sense of the molecular properties.
    $endgroup$
    – Karsten Theis
    yesterday






  • 1




    $begingroup$
    okay, so are bond strength and energy of the entire molecule both dependent on the electron energy?
    $endgroup$
    – Christopher U'Ren
    yesterday
















$begingroup$
Thanks for the very useful answer. Could you just elaborate on the part where you say "because there is more room for the electrons as they are interacting with two nuclei instead of one"? Why does the ground state get lower because of that?
$endgroup$
– Christopher U'Ren
yesterday




$begingroup$
Thanks for the very useful answer. Could you just elaborate on the part where you say "because there is more room for the electrons as they are interacting with two nuclei instead of one"? Why does the ground state get lower because of that?
$endgroup$
– Christopher U'Ren
yesterday




1




1




$begingroup$
This might be jumping ahead a bit too much, but electrons don't get closer and closer to the nuclei (even when that would increase interactions) because "they don't like to be pinned down" (Heisenberg's uncertainty principle). If an electron can keep the same average distance to the nuclei but occupy a large space, it will lower its energy. This is reflected in the color of molecules with conjugated double bonds (carotene in carrots, for example), and also in a model called particle in a box. The analogy is strings of different length in music
$endgroup$
– Karsten Theis
yesterday




$begingroup$
This might be jumping ahead a bit too much, but electrons don't get closer and closer to the nuclei (even when that would increase interactions) because "they don't like to be pinned down" (Heisenberg's uncertainty principle). If an electron can keep the same average distance to the nuclei but occupy a large space, it will lower its energy. This is reflected in the color of molecules with conjugated double bonds (carotene in carrots, for example), and also in a model called particle in a box. The analogy is strings of different length in music
$endgroup$
– Karsten Theis
yesterday












$begingroup$
Thanks a lot for that. Just one more thing I want to clarify. I read this online socratic.org/questions/how-do-chemical-bonds-store-energy . It talks about how the bonds formed in the products after exothermic reactions have lower potential energy. This question may sound stupid, but is it the electrons which have lower potential energy or the new molecule? This answer states that it's the electrons which have lower potential energy socratic.org/questions/…, which one is more correct? Thanks so much
$endgroup$
– Christopher U'Ren
yesterday






$begingroup$
Thanks a lot for that. Just one more thing I want to clarify. I read this online socratic.org/questions/how-do-chemical-bonds-store-energy . It talks about how the bonds formed in the products after exothermic reactions have lower potential energy. This question may sound stupid, but is it the electrons which have lower potential energy or the new molecule? This answer states that it's the electrons which have lower potential energy socratic.org/questions/…, which one is more correct? Thanks so much
$endgroup$
– Christopher U'Ren
yesterday






1




1




$begingroup$
Typically, adjectives for bonds are strong or weak. If you are actually measuring an energy, it is the energy of the entire molecule. The reason energies are different is because the electrons have different energies (nothing happens in the nuclei). So saying electrons have lower potential energy makes the most sense to me. Distinct bonds don't really exist anyway, we just use them for making sense of the molecular properties.
$endgroup$
– Karsten Theis
yesterday




$begingroup$
Typically, adjectives for bonds are strong or weak. If you are actually measuring an energy, it is the energy of the entire molecule. The reason energies are different is because the electrons have different energies (nothing happens in the nuclei). So saying electrons have lower potential energy makes the most sense to me. Distinct bonds don't really exist anyway, we just use them for making sense of the molecular properties.
$endgroup$
– Karsten Theis
yesterday




1




1




$begingroup$
okay, so are bond strength and energy of the entire molecule both dependent on the electron energy?
$endgroup$
– Christopher U'Ren
yesterday




$begingroup$
okay, so are bond strength and energy of the entire molecule both dependent on the electron energy?
$endgroup$
– Christopher U'Ren
yesterday


















draft saved

draft discarded




















































Thanks for contributing an answer to Chemistry Stack Exchange!


  • Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!

But avoid



  • Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.

  • Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.


Use MathJax to format equations. MathJax reference.


To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.




draft saved


draft discarded














StackExchange.ready(
function () {
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fchemistry.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f114347%2fwhat-is-meant-by-electrons-moving-to-lower-potential-energy%23new-answer', 'question_page');
}
);

Post as a guest















Required, but never shown





















































Required, but never shown














Required, but never shown












Required, but never shown







Required, but never shown

































Required, but never shown














Required, but never shown












Required, but never shown







Required, but never shown







Popular posts from this blog

VNC viewer RFB protocol error: bad desktop size 0x0I Cannot Type the Key 'd' (lowercase) in VNC Viewer...

Couldn't open a raw socket. Error: Permission denied (13) (nmap)Is it possible to run networking commands...

Why not use the yoke to control yaw, as well as pitch and roll? Announcing the arrival of...