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Chemicals/Bonding Energy

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Expert: - 4/14/2006


Question
Dear sir,

A chemical bond with high bonding energy is stable or unstable?

I was told that it is unstable,
but given the unit of bond energy, KJ/mol,I thought that the bond energy is the energy required to break a bond, thus the higher bond energy it has, the more stable the bond is,
Is it correct?

Thanks.

Regards,
Fern
Undergraduate of chemical engineering (first year)

Answer
The problem you have is that the statement/question is incomplete.  You can describe bond energies as the energy released/needed when FORMED or the energy released/needed when BROKEN.  The bond energy can be described as high negative or high positive and so you have several possibilities of what your original statement means.  The statement answer depends on the definition of "high" by the stater and if they are talking formation or breaking.

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Chemistry (non-biochemistry), environmental science, occupational health and safety, environmental regulation and management, environmental engineering, and wastewater engineering. I'm the Director of Environmental, Health, and Safety and the Director of Research at the Institute of Textile Technology.

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Chemistry (non-biochemistry), environmental science, occupational health and safety, environmental regulation and management, environmental engineering, and wastewater engineering. I'm the Director of Environmental, Health, and Safety and the Director of Research at the Institute of Textile Technology.

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