The options
given are inaccurate portrayals. Also, it's actually the final
products (after proton transfer in step 3) that have less energy
than the initial reactants.
I've been looking at the energy profile diagram for some time.
maybe idk how read it. isnt the diagram drawn such that the final
products at the horizontal line i.e. nothing wrong with the
diagram?
is my interpretation correct,
first intermediate(species after first step) at first hump,
the two species at the 2nd hump,
the species after step 3 is at the products horizontal line?
There are 3 steps, hence 4 species. Hence, the full energy profile
diagram will have reactant --> intermediate --> intermediate
--> product. But the MCQ is only asking for the 1st 2 steps
only, hence the correct option only has reactant -->
intermediate --> intermediate.