Select the correct answer. Which of the following is true for all exergonic reactions?

Select the correct answer. Which of the following is true for all exergonic reactions?

A) The products have more total energy than the reactants.

B) The reactions proceed with a net release of free energy.

C) The reactions are always rapid.

D) The reactions only occur in certain organelles called exergonomes.

Answer: B) The reactions proceed with a net release of free energy.

Exergonic reactions are chemical reactions that have free energy everywhere they go as they complete the reaction. Desirable energy refers to the amount of energy within a system that is available for doing useful work in a process. Exergonic reactions, on the other hand, involve products with free energy that is lower compared to that of the reactants, thus enabling the release of free energy to the environment. This is the entropy that propels the reaction and makes it occur without being induced by an external force. However, exergonic reactions can be fast or slow in response to stimuli or changes in the environment such as activation energy barriers, temperature and the effect of chemicals called catalysts. Lastly, the total energy of the products could be greater or lesser than the reactants since the free energy does not exist independently of the reaction’s enthalpy change and its entropy change.