17
votes
Accepted
Where does the energy in coal bonds come from?
Indeed it's in some way counterintuitive to say that the sun's energy is 'stored' in the coal bonds. Energy never comes from breaking bonds, it is released when forming bonds.
In the case at hand, the ...
- 652
14
votes
Where does the energy in coal bonds come from?
As has been pointed out the energy comes in the form of visible light from the sun. The reaction written in summary or overview is
$$\displaystyle \ce{2H2O \overset{light}\to O2 + 4H^+ + 4e^-}$$
$$\...
- 27.1k
8
votes
Where does the energy in coal bonds come from?
Photosynthesis is a little like the reverse of burning
The idea that chemicals or their bonds store energy needs some clarification. The storage is always relative to some other reachable arrangement ...
- 32.6k
3
votes
Do chemical bonds impact half-life of elements?
It might depend on the type of decay undergone by the element, but certainly for some decays it is possible. That being said, these are the exception rather than the rule. Typically, nuclear decay is ...
- 328
2
votes
What happens to a greenhouse gas after it absorbs infrared radiation?
The high level effect of green gases is, they cause Earth as a planet, at the same surface temperature, emits to space less IR energy (at affected wavelengths) than without them.
With addition of GH ...
- 28.7k
1
vote
Where does the energy in coal bonds come from?
When the sun's energy was utilised to separate carbon and oxygen how can the coal bonds store it?
You use the word 'utilised' as if this means the energy is used; it no longer exists. But energy ...
- 11
1
vote
Where does the energy in coal bonds come from?
Electrons around the nuclei of atoms exist in various energy states due to quantum mechanical principles. Due to these principles, they are confined to certain configurations (shells and orbitals). ...
- 425
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