Fill in the blank: Energy is ______ causing a bond.

Fill in the blank: Energy is ______ causing a bond.

• A. introduced
• B. released
• C. consumed
• D. stored

Answer: (B)

When atoms bond, they settle into a lower-energy, more stable arrangement. That decrease in potential energy is released to the surroundings as heat or light, which is why forming bonds is exothermic. So energy is released causing a bond. The other ideas—adding energy to form the bond, consuming energy, or storing it—don’t describe how bond formation typically works, where the system gives off energy as the new bond is created.

When atoms bond, they settle into a lower-energy, more stable arrangement. That decrease in potential energy is released to the surroundings as heat or light, which is why forming bonds is exothermic. So energy is released causing a bond. The other ideas—adding energy to form the bond, consuming energy, or storing it—don’t describe how bond formation typically works, where the system gives off energy as the new bond is created.