How do you draw a reaction pathway for an exothermic reaction?

To draw a reaction pathway for an exothermic reaction, you plot energy on the y-axis and reaction progress on the x-axis, with energy decreasing.

In more detail, a reaction pathway, also known as an energy profile diagram, is a graphical representation of the energy changes that occur during a chemical reaction. For an exothermic reaction, the energy of the reactants is higher than the energy of the products, meaning energy is released during the reaction.

Start by drawing your x and y axes. The y-axis represents energy, usually in kilojoules (kJ), and the x-axis represents the progress of the reaction. The reactants are on the left side of the diagram and the products are on the right.

Plot the energy level of the reactants at a certain point on the y-axis. This is the starting energy level. Then, plot the energy level of the products lower down on the y-axis, as the energy of the products is less than the energy of the reactants in an exothermic reaction.

Next, draw a curve from the energy level of the reactants to the energy level of the products. The highest point on this curve represents the activation energy, which is the minimum energy required for the reaction to occur. The difference in height between the energy level of the reactants and the highest point on the curve is the activation energy.

Finally, the difference in height between the energy level of the reactants and the energy level of the products represents the energy change of the reaction. This is negative for an exothermic reaction, indicating that energy has been released.

Remember, the key feature of an exothermic reaction pathway is that the energy level decreases from reactants to products, showing that energy has been released.