Chemical Energy - The Most Common Form of Energy Used by Man Today

Man uses chemical energy most out of all of the other forms of energy, and it finds use in everything from flashlight batteries to commercial airlines, being the energy released from chemical reactions. Also, most of the world’s electricity comes from chemical energy that is obtained by burning coal, oil as well as gas. Propane, which is a common fuel for stoves, as well as gasoline that powers portable electric generators are common means of obtaining chemical energy.

Energy Stored In Bonds Of Atoms

Chemical energy is energy that is stored in the bonds (force that holds two atoms together) of atoms. A release in the bonds causes a chemical reaction to take place and a new substance is created. A good example would be when iron rusts, which causes the iron atoms to combine with oxygen molecules to form iron oxide.

A chemical reaction could be endothermic in which energy gets absorbed, or it can be exothermic in which energy is given off. When energy is absorbed or given off, there is a certain amount of heat in which this energy is contained. The relationships that we expect from all forms of energy are also common to chemical energy. It is essential for humans to master as well as control and produce chemical energy if we are to survive on the planet.

When atoms are arranged in a special way with the molecules, there is energy present, which is chemical energy. Energy is also released when atoms become rearranged to form new molecules. Chemical energy is also stored in foods as well as in fuels and these are often released when such compounds are made to undergo chemical reactions.

You can also get chemical energy through photosynthesis, and plants grow thanks to the energy contained in light that builds organic molecules from the carbon dioxide contained in the air, and from water contained in the earth. Organofuels is how one describes the energy sources that originate from photosynthetic processes.

Mankind has found storing energy to be most convenient when it takes the form of chemical energy, and the foods that we eat as well as the oxygen that we breathe store energy in the body that is in turn converted into mechanical as well as thermal energy. Batteries are another good example of how chemical energy is stored, which can later be retrieved as electrical energy.