Endothermic and Exothermic Reaction

“When trying to classify a reaction as exothermic or endothermic, watch how

the temperature of the surrounding—in this case, the flask—changes. An
exothermic process releases heat, causing the temperature of the immediate
surroundings to rise. An endothermic process absorbs heat and cools the
surroundings.”

Based on the above definition, let's pick a few examples from our daily lives
and categorize them as endothermic or exothermic.

Endothermic reactions: Heat is absorbed.

1) Photosynthesis: Plants absorb heat energy from sunlight to convert carbon

dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen.

6CO2 + 6 H2O + heat ---> C6H12O6 + 6O2

2) Cooking an egg: Heat energy is absorbed from the pan to cook the egg.

Exothermic reactions: Heat is released.

1) Combustion: The burning of carbon-containing compounds uses oxygen,

from air, and produces carbon dioxide, water, and lots of heat. For example,
combustion of methane (\text{CH}_4CH4start text, C, H, end text, start
subscript, 4, end subscript) can be represented as follows:

CH4 + 2(O2) ---> CO2 + 2H2O + heat

2) Rain: Condensation of water vapor into rain releasing energy in the form
of heat is an example of an exothermic process.

Why is heat released or absorbed in a chemical reaction?

In any chemical reaction, chemical bonds are either broken or formed. And
the rule of thumb is "When chemical bonds are formed, heat is released, and
when chemical bonds are broken, heat is absorbed." Molecules inherently
want to stay together, so the formation of chemical bonds between molecules
requires less energy as compared to breaking bonds between molecules,
which requires more energy and results in heat being absorbed from the
surroundings.

What is the enthalpy of a reaction?

Enthalpy of a reaction is defined as the heat energy change (ΔHΔHΔ, H)
that takes place when reactants go to products. If heat is absorbed during
the reaction, ΔHΔHΔ, H is positive; if heat is released, then ΔHΔHΔ, H is
negative.

Depiction of an energy diagram

In a chemical reaction, some bonds are broken and some bonds are formed.
During the course of the reaction, there exists an intermediate stage, where
chemical bonds are partially broken and partially formed. This intermediate
exists at a higher energy level than the starting reactants; it is very unstable
and is referred to as the transition state. The energy required to reach this
transition state is called activation energy. We can define activation energy as
the minimum amount of energy required to initiate a reaction,

An energy diagram can be defined as a diagram showing the relative

potential energies of reactants, transition states, and products as a reaction
progresses with time.

Let’s draw an energy diagram for the following reaction:

Activation energy graph for CO (g) + NO2 (g) ---> CO2 (g) + NO (g)

The activation energy is the difference in the energy between the transition
state and the reactants. It’s depicted with a red arrow.

Energy diagrams for endothermic and exothermic

reactions
In the case of an endothermic reaction, the reactants are at a lower energy
level compared to the products—as shown in the energy diagram below. In
other words, the products are less stable than the reactants. Since we are
forcing the reaction in the forward direction towards more unstable entities,
overall ΔHΔHΔ, H for the reaction is positive, i.e., energy is absorbed from
the surroundings.
 Image of a graph showing potential energy in relation to the process of a
chemical reaction.

In the case of an exothermic reaction, the reactants are at a higher energy

level as compared to the products, as shown below in the energy diagram. In
other words, the products are more stable than the reactants. Overall enthalpy
for the reaction is negative, i.e., energy is released in the form of heat.
Image of a graph showing potential energy in relation to the process of an
exothermic reaction.