Chemical potential energy is the energy stored in the chemical bonds of a substance. The various chemicals that make up gasoline contain a large amount of chemical potential energy that is released when the gasoline is burned in a controlled way in the engine of the car. The release of that energy does two thingsIn thermodynamics, chemical potential of a species is a form of energy that can be absorbed or released during a chemical reaction or phase transition due to a change of the particle number of the given species.