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What energy do fuels liberate when burnt? Substances are held together by chemical bonds. When a chemical reaction occurs, one substance changes to another. This means that chemical bonds must be broken and then re-made. It is the bond breaking and making that causes energy changes in chemical reactions. Before a reaction can begin, bonds have to be broken. Breaking bonds involves pulling atoms apart and this requires energy. At room temperature this energy is not available, so bonds do not break and the reaction does not begin. However, if you heat the fuel enough, energy is transferred to break the necessary bonds and the reaction begins. All reactions need activation energy to break bonds and get them started. For some reactions the bonds are easily broken. As a result the activation energy is fairly minimal and the reaction may even begin at room temperature. For example, the reaction of sodium...

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