Meaning & use
chemical energy
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountablechemistryphysicstechnical
Energy stored in the bonds of atoms and molecules, which can be released or absorbed during a chemical reaction.
Grammar: Uncountable: say chemical energy, not a chemical energy or chemical energies.
Patterns
- chemical energy stored in something
- release chemical energy
- convert chemical energy into something
Food contains chemical energy that your body releases during digestion.
Burning gasoline converts chemical energy into heat and motion.
Batteries store chemical energy and turn it into electrical energy when connected.
noununcountablechemistryphysicstechnical
A form of potential energy that becomes other forms, such as heat or light, when a chemical reaction takes place.
Grammar: Often used when talking about energy transformations: chemical energy → thermal energy.
Patterns
- chemical energy becomes something
- transform chemical energy into something
In a fire, chemical energy changes into light and heat.
Plants convert light energy into chemical energy through photosynthesis.
Common combinations
- store chemical energy
- Plants store chemical energy in the form of glucose.
- release chemical energy
- The reaction releases chemical energy as heat.
- convert chemical energy into electrical energy
- A battery converts chemical energy into electrical energy.
- a source of chemical energy
- Coal is a major source of chemical energy for power plants.
Synonyms and how they differ
- potential energy
- Potential energy is the general term for stored energy; chemical energy is one specific type.
Word family
- chemical adjective
- Relating to chemistry or chemicals.
Commonly confused: chemical energy or nuclear energy?
chemical energy vs nuclear energy
Nuclear energy comes from changes in atomic nuclei, while chemical energy comes from bonds between atoms.
Practice
What happens to chemical energy when wood burns?
Choose one answer.
Burning releases the chemical energy stored in the wood as heat and light. Energy is not destroyed; it changes form. It does not stay stored or become nuclear energy.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “chemical energy”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.