Which term describes the energy stored in chemical bonds and available to do work in living systems?

• A. Energy
• B. Food
• C. Entropy
• D. Evolution

Answer: (A)

Chemical energy is the energy stored in chemical bonds, a form of potential energy that becomes usable to do work in living systems when those bonds are broken and made anew. In cells, this energy powers processes from ATP production and biosynthesis to muscle movement and active transport, driving metabolism forward. So the general term describing this stored energy is energy itself, specifically chemical energy. The other terms don’t describe the energy stored in bonds: food is something that supplies energy, entropy is a measure of disorder, and evolution is the process of change in populations over time.