Energy changes

Breaking and making bonds

During a chemical reaction:

bonds in the reactants are broken

new bonds are made in the products
Energy is absorbed to break bonds. Bond-breaking is an endothermic process.
Energy is released when new bonds form. Bond-making is an exothermic process.
Whether a reaction is endothermic or exothermic depends on the difference between the energy
needed to break bonds and the energy released when new bonds form.
If more heat energy is released when making the bonds than was taken in, the reaction is exothermic
If more heat energy was taken in when making the bonds than was released, the reaction is endothermic

Energy diagrams
Energy diagrams show the level of energy of the reactants and of the products. The bigger the
difference between the energy of the reactants and the energy of the products, the more energy is
given out or taken in. It is easy to see from an energy level diagram whether the reaction is
exothermic or endothermic:
in exothermic reactions the reactants are higher than the products
in endothermic reactions the reactants are lower than the products

In an exothermic reaction, the

products are at a lower energy than the
reactants. The difference between the
energy of the reactants and the energy
of the products is called the enthalpy
change (H) of the reaction. For an
exothermic reaction, the enthalpy
change is always negative.

In an endothermic reaction, the products

are at a higher energy than the
reactants. This means that
the enthalpy change of the
reaction (H) is positive.
Calculating energy changes
Data from a calorimetry experiment can be used to calculate the molar enthalpy change of a
reaction.
You need to know the mass or volume of the water that was heated, the temperature change of
the water, and the mass or number of moles of the limiting reactant (eg the fuel burned or the
solute added).
Use this equation to work out an energy change:
Energy transferred = mass of water heated specific heat capacity of water temperature rise.
Question:

The energy from burning 0.5 g of propane was transferred to 100 cm3of water to raise its
temperature by 20C. Calculate the enthalpy change (in kJ), and then use this to calculate
the molar enthalpy change (in kJ/mol).
(Assume that 1cm3 of water has a mass of 1 g.)
Answer:
Mass of water = 100 g
Energy transferred = mass of water heated specific heat capacity of water
temperature rise
= 100 4.2 20 = 8,400 J
It is also useful to remember that 1 kilojoule, 1 kJ, equals 1,000 J. So the energy
transferred is 8.4 kJ. So, we can say that the enthalpy change is 8.4 kJ.
Now, move on the next step which is to calculate the molar enthalpy change.
Remember: moles = mass relative formula mass (Mr)
Moles of propane burned = 0.5 44 = 0.01136.
So, the molar enthalpy change, H = 8.4 0.01136 = 739 kJ/mol
However, we also need to remember that exothermic reactions, like this one, must have
negative enthalpy changes, so the final answer is -739 kJ/mol
 Bond energy calculations

You can calculate the energy change in a reaction using average bond energies. Bond energy is
the amount of energy needed to break one mole of a particular bond.

To calculate bond energy

1. Add together the bond energies for all the bonds in the reactants this is the energy in.
2. Add together the bond energies for all the bonds in the products this is the energy out.
3. Calculate the energy change = energy in energy out.

Worked example an exothermic reaction

Hydrogen and chlorine react to form hydrogen chloride gas:

HH + ClCl 2 (HCl)

Bond Bond Energy (kJ/mol)

HH 436
ClCl 243
HCl 432
1. Energy in = 436 + 243 = 679 kJ/mol
2. Energy out = 2 432 = 864 kJ/mol
3. Energy change = in out = 679 864 = 185 kJ/mol
The energy change is negative, showing that energy is released to the surroundings in
an exothermic reaction.

Worked example an endothermic reaction

Hydrogen bromide decomposes to form hydrogen and bromine:
2 (HBr) HH + BrBr
Bond Bond Energy (kJ/mol)
HBr 366
HH 436
BrBr 193
1. Energy in = 2 366 = 732 kJ/mol
2. Energy out = 436 + 193 = 629 kJ/mol
3. Energy change = in out = 732 629 = +103 kJ/mol
The energy change is positive, showing that energy is taken in from the surroundings in
an endothermic reaction.

Production of energy
Heat energy can be produced by burning fuels such as hydrogen. However, it can also be
produced in other ways.

Radioactive isotopes
Some isotopes are radioactive, for example 235U. These substances can be used as fuels in
nuclear power stations. They release energy as they turn into other elements through radioactive
decay.

Electrochemical cells
A simple electrochemical cell can be produced by dipping two different metals into
an electrolyte and connecting them via wires and a voltmeter, bulb, motor, etc. The bigger the
difference in reactivity between the two metals, the bigger the voltage produced.

Fuel cells
Fuels such as hydrogen can also be made to react with oxygen in a controlled manner to produce
energy as electricity, not as heat. These fuel cells have the advantage of being more efficient than
engines that burn fuels, they have fewer moving parts, and they are lighter and more sustainable.