When oil is burned to heat your house, what happens to the chemical energy stored in the oil?

• A. It remains stored in the oil and is not used.
• B. It is destroyed during the combustion process.
• C. It is converted into electrical energy.
• D. It is converted into thermal energy and released as heat.

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand that chemical energy is the energy stored in the bonds of molecules, such as those in oil.
2. Recognize that when oil undergoes combustion (burning), a chemical reaction occurs where the bonds in the oil molecules break and new bonds form, releasing energy.
3. Recall the Law of Conservation of Energy, which states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed from one form to another.
4. Identify that in the combustion of oil, the chemical energy is primarily converted into thermal energy (heat), which is then used to heat your house.
5. Conclude that the chemical energy stored in the oil is not destroyed or left unused, nor is it converted into electrical energy in this process; instead, it is transformed into heat energy.