BRIONES,MARY ANNE G.

ENDOTHERMIC AND
EXOTHERMIC REACTIONS

Endothermic reactions are These reactions lower the

chemical reactions in which the
reactants absorb heat energy
from the surroundings to form
products.
temperature of their surrounding
area, thereby creating a cooling
effect. Physical processes can be
endothermic as well – Ice cubes
absorb heat energy from their
surroundings and melt to form
liquid water (no chemical bonds
are broken or formed).

ENDOTHERMIC REACTION EXAMPLES

When ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) is dissolved in water, an
endothermic reaction takes place. The salt dissociates into
ammonium (NH4+) and chloride (Cl–) ions. The chemical equation can
be written as follows: NH4Cl (s) + H2O (l) ⟶ NH4Cl (aq) – Heat
Ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3), an important component in instant
cold packs, dissociates into the ammonium cation (NH4+) and the
nitrate anion (NO3–) when dissolved in water. These ions go on to
form ammonium hydroxide (NH4OH) and nitric acid (HNO3)
respectively (by reacting with the OH– and H+ ions in water). This
reaction is endothermic in nature since it cools the surroundings by
absorbing heat from it.
The formation of nitric oxide from the reaction between nitrogen and
oxygen is endothermic since it involves the absorption of
approximately 180.5 kilojoules of heat for every mole of N2 and O2.

Therefore, it can be understood

An exothermic reaction is a reaction in which
energy is released in the form of light or heat.
Thus in an exothermic reaction, energy is
transferred into the surroundings rather than
taking energy from the surroundings as in an
endothermic reaction. In an exothermic reaction,
change in enthalpy ( ΔH) will be negative.
that the net amount of energy
required to initiate an exothermic
reaction is less than the net
amount of energy released by
the reaction. When a calorimeter,
a device used to measure the
heat released by a chemical
reaction, the net amount of heat
energy that flows through the
device is equal to the negative of
the total energy change of the
system.

EXAMPLES OF EXOTHERMIC REACTIONS

COMBUSTION
Commonly referred to as burning,
combustion is an exothermic reaction in
which a fuel undergoes reduction when
exposed to an oxidizing agent (which is
usually the oxygen present in the
atmosphere) and forms an oxidized product.
These reactions give out good amounts of
energy in the form of heat, but also form
some byproducts such as smoke.
NUCLEAR FISSION OF URANIUM-235
The nuclear fission of one atom of
uranium-235 releases more than 2.5
million times the energy that is
produced from the combustion of coal.
DETONATION OF NITROGLYCERIN
Nitroglycerin has strong explosive
powers which can be used via its
detonation
In the process of detonating nitroglycerin,
the gases generated, at room
temperature and pressure would occupy
over 1,200 times the original volume.
NEUTRALIZATION REACTIONS
The standard enthalpy change (ΔH) for the
reaction between a proton (H+ ion) and a
hydroxide ion (OH– ion) is -57.30 kJ/mol.
Therefore, neutralization reactions are
considered to be exothermic reactions.