Question: how much energy does it take to break the h-o bond within water?
Answer: For instance, the HO-H bond in a water molecule requires 493 kJ/mol to break and generate the hydroxide ion (OH–). Breaking the O-H bond in the hydroxide ion requires an additional 424 kJ/mol. Therefore, the bond energy of the covalent O-H bonds in water is reported to be the average of the two values, or 458.9 kJ/mol.