Two groups of your colleagues are arguing over the amount of energy required for a beaker full of Substance X to complete an endergonic reaction. The first group insists that only the activation energy for a single reaction is necessary, which will release at least enough energy to start a second and third reaction, until all the reactants are consumed. The second group strongly disagrees, insisting that the energy required is equal to the activation energy of a single set of reactants, multiplied by the number of reactant sets in that volume of Substance X. Which group is correct?

Question

a. Group 1 is correct, if and only if the energy released by each set of reactants is sufficient to activate a secondary reaction, after accounting for entropy.
b. Group 2 is correct; the amount of energy required must equal the activation energy of all of the reactants in the beaker of Substance X.
c. Group 2 is half right; endergonic reactions absorb energy, so free energy, activation energy, and entropy losses for all reactants must be included.
d. Neither group is correct; endergonic reactions occur spontaneously, and the reaction has likely been completed unnoticed during this argument.

Answer 1

c. Group 2 is half right; endergonic reactions absorb energy, so free energy, activation energy, and entropy losses for all reactants must be included.