What happens if the amount of energy that is absorbed by the reactants is less than the activation energy?
the reaction does not occur.
the reaction occurs very quickly.
the reaction occurs very slowly.
the reaction occurs spontaneously.

Option (a) is the correct answer.

Explanation:

Activation energy is the minimum amount of energy required by the reactant molecules to complete a reaction.

Thus, the energy absorbed by the reactant molecules helps in breaking of their chemical bonds as a result reaction takes place.

If the amount of energy that is absorbed by the reactants is less than the activation energy then the chemical bond between reactant molecules will not break as a result the reactant molecules will not participate in the reaction.

Thus, we can conclude that the reaction does not occur if the amount of energy that is absorbed by the reactants is less than the activation energy.