Question

is the activation energy for a forward reaction the same as the activation energy for the reverse of the same reaction?

Answer 1

Activation energy is the minimum energy required to start a chemical reaction. The activation energy for the reverse reaction is the activation energy of the forward reaction plus ?G. So, it is larger, which means the rate constant for the reverse reaction is smaller. This is always the case for favorable reactions (exergonic, ?G is negative). The opposite is true for unfavorable reactions (endergonic reactions, ?G is positive).

An energy vs reaction coordinate graph is used to show how the potential energy of the reactants changes as they are converted to products. The reaction coordinate is a measure of the progress of the reaction along the reaction pathway.