The average energy needed to break one mole of a particular covalent bond in molecules in the gas state. It is measured in kJ mol⁻¹. Bond-breaking is an endothermic process, so all bond energies have positive values.
The stronger the bond, the greater the bond energy.
| Bond | Bond energy /kJ mol–1 |
|---|---|
| C–C | 347 |
| C–O | 358 |
| N–H | 391 |
| C–H | 415 |
| H–H | 436 |
| O–H | 464 |
| O=O | 498 |
| C=C | 612 |
| C=O | 805 |
| N≡N | 945 |
Synonyms:
bond enthalpy
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