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A202 Chemistry II
Lesson 02: Power Extreme
Pre-reading and other resources
- Hess’s Law -

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Enthalpy Change
• During almost all chemical reactions, there are changes in the
energy of the system. This is normally seen as heat evolved or
absorbed.

• Energy is absorbed and used to break bonds of the reactants, and

energy is released when new bonds are made in the products.

• The heat evolved or absorbed during a reaction or process is known

as enthalpy change for the reaction.

• Represented by symbol: H (“delta H”)

• Standard enthalpy of formation:Standard enthalpy of formation is

expressed as enthalpy per mole of the compound formed.

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What is Hess’s Law?

• The enthalpy accompanying a chemical change is
independent of the route by which the chemical change
occurs. Route 1

Intermediates K Intermediates T

Reactants A Products Z
Intermediates
P

Route 2
Example: To convert from reactants A to products Z,
Regardless of whether the reaction proceed via route 1 (A-→ K →T→ Z) or route 2
(A→ P → Z), the overall enthalpy change is always the same
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Why do we need to apply Hess’s Law?

• To obtain the enthalpy change for reactions which are
either hard or impossible to do in the laboratory in order
to measure the enthalpy change.
Application of Hess’s Law
Route 1: (A→B)
H1

Route 2: (A→ C→ B)
H2 + H3

Route 3: (A→ D → E→ B)
H4 + H5 + H6

Hess’s law states:

H1 = H2 + H3= H4 + H5 + H6

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Example of Hess’s Law

For example, we wanted to measure rxnH for carbon monoxide.

C(s) + ½ O2(g) → CO(g) rxnH1= ??
This reaction is very hard to control. Carbon when burnt tends to convert to
carbon dioxide. But it is very easy to burn carbon itself and also carbon
monoxide to obtain the following information.
C(s) + O2(g) → CO2(g) rxnH2 = -394 kJ/mol
CO(g) + ½ O2(g) → CO2(g) rxnH3 = -283 kJ/mol

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Example of Hess’s Law

C(s) + ½ O2(g)

rxnH2= -394kJ/mol rxnH1= ?? CO(g) + ½ O2(g) Route

Route
1 2

rxnH3 = -283 kJ/mol

CO2(g)

The enthalpy data could be shown as an energy diagram (above).

From the diagram, it could be seen that there are two possible routes
for the reaction.

Enthalpy change for route 1 = Enthalpy change for route 2

rxnH2 = rxnH1 + rxnH3
-394 = rxnH1 + (-283)
rxnH1 = -394 + 283
= -111 kJ

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Other resources:
Polymall: Physical and Inorganic Chemistry
• L03: Chemical Energetics I

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Other resources:
• http://www.khanacademy.org/science/physics/thermodyn
amics/v/hess-s-law-and-reaction-enthalpy-change

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