# A student uses a sparkler on Bonfire Night. The sparkler glows brightly and gives out a large amount of heat as it burns. Explain why the sparkler feels hot and describe what this tells us about the bonds broken and bonds formed during the reaction.

> OCR GCSE Chemistry A: Gateway Science (J248) — C3.2 Energetics · Explain · 4 marks

> Sparklers contain a metal fuel that reacts with oxygen in the air when ignited. The reaction releases energy to the surroundings.

## Mark scheme (4 marks)

1. The reaction is exothermic
2. Energy is transferred to the surroundings, causing the temperature of the surroundings to increase
3. More energy is released when bonds are formed in the products than is required to break bonds in the reactants
4. Bond making is an exothermic process (and bond breaking is an endothermic process)

## Related

- [Revision notes for OCR GCSE Chemistry A: Gateway Science (J248)](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/learn)
- [How to answer "Explain" questions](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/tools/command-word-cheatsheet)
- [Practice this with AI marking (free)](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/start)

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Source: [GradeNine](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/q/a-student-uses-a-sparkler-on-ecc95b25) · Published by Druglandscape Ltd.