How can I draw activation energy in a diagram?

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Answer 1 · 2015-06-26T15:18:38

You follow a series of steps.

1. Draw and label a pair of axes.

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Label the vertical axis "Potential Energy" and the horizontal axis "Reaction Coordinate".

2. Draw and label two short horizontal lines to mark the energies of the reactants and products.

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3. Draw the energy level diagram.

There must be a hump in the curve to represent the energy level of the activated complex.

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4. Draw and label the activation energy.

Draw a horizontal line from the highest part of the curve towards the vertical axis.

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The activation energy #E_"a"# is the difference between the energy of the activated complex and that of the reactants.

#E_"a" = E_("activated complex" ) – E_("reactants")#