What is the relationship between the number of carbon–carbon bonds in a molecule and its energy potential when those bonds are broken?

• A. The more C-C bonds a molecule has, the more energy is released when the bonds are broken.
• B. There is no relationship between the number of C-C bonds and energy potential.
• C. More C-C bonds reduce the energy released when bonds are broken.
• D. Energy potential depends only on other bonds, not C-C bonds.

Answer: (A)

Energy stored in chemical bonds is the source of a molecule’s energy potential. Each carbon–carbon bond adds to the total bond energy tucked away in the molecule. When reactions occur, those bonds are broken and new bonds form in the products. If the products end up with bonds that are more stable (lower energy) than the reactants, energy is released in the process. So, having more C–C bonds generally means there is more total energy available to be released during chemical change, even though breaking bonds itself costs energy—the overall energy yield comes from the difference between the bonds broken and the bonds formed.