Exothermic and Endothermic Reactions

Chemical Reactions

 All chemical reactions involve bond breaking and bond

forming.
 Energy is needed to break bonds and released when
bonds are formed.
 Chemical reactions are accompanied by a change in
energy, mainly in the form of heat.
Exothermic Reactions

• An exothermic reaction is a
chemical reaction that
releases energy through light
or heat. It is the opposite of an
endothermic reaction.
Expressed in a chemical
equation: reactants products
+ energy… So the reaction in
which there is release of the
heat with or without light is
called exothermic reaction.
Endothermic Reactions

 Endothermic reactions are reactions

that require external energy, usually in
the form of heat, for the reaction to
proceed. Since endothermic reactions
draw in the heat from their
surroundings, they tend to cause their
environments to cool down. They are
also generally non-spontaneous, since
endothermic reactions yield products
that are higher in energy than the
reactants. As such, the change in
enthalpy for an endothermic reaction is
always positive. In order to melt the ice
cube, heat is required, so the process is
endothermic.
Exothermic and Endothermic Reactions

 A reaction in which heat is given out is exothermic.

 A reaction in which heat is taken in is endothermic.

Some Examples of Exothermic Reaction

 Combustion of fuels such as wood, coal and oil petroleum

 Thermite reaction
 Reaction of alkali metals and other highly electropositive metals with water
 Condensation of rain from water vapor
 Mixing water and strong acids or strong bases
 Mixing acids and bases
 Dehydration of carbohydrates by sulfuric acid
 The setting of cement and concrete
 Some polymerisation reactions such as the setting of epoxy resin
 Reaction of most metals with halogens or oxygen
 Nuclear fusion in hydrogen bombs and in stellar cores (to iron)
Examples of Endothermic Reaction

These examples could be written as chemical reactions, but are more generally
considered to be endothermic or heat-absorbing processes:
 Melting ice cubes
 Melting solid salts
 Evaporating liquid water
 Converting frost to water vapor (melting, boiling, and evaporation, in
general, are endothermic processes
 Making an anhydrous salt from a hydrate
 Forming a cation from an atom in the gas phase
 Splitting a gas molecule
 Separating ion pairs
 Cooking an egg
 Baking bread
Combustion of Hydrocarbons

 When hydrocarbons are burned carbon dioxide,

water vapor and large amounts of heat are produced.

 Hydrocarbons (particularly alkanes) are excellent

fuels e.g. methane, propane, butane and petrol.
Heat of Reaction

•  The heat of reaction, of a chemical reaction is the

heat in kilojoules released or absorbed when the
number of moles of reactants indicated, in the
balanced equation describing the reaction, react
completely.

• For an exothermic reaction is negative (-).

• For an endothermic reaction is positive (+).
Heat of Combustion

• The heat of combustion of a substance is the

heat change in kilojoules when one mole of the
substance is completely burned in excess
oxygen.
Bond energy

• Bond energy is the amount of energy in kilojoules

needed to break one mole of bonds of the same type,
all species being in the gaseous state.
• The average C-H bond energy in methane is 412kj
mol-1 i.e E(C-H)= 412kj mol-1
• The energy of a particular bond type can vary.
• It is usual to qoute the average bond energies.
Bomb Calorimeter

• Used to find accurate values for heats of

combustion.
• Sample is ignited using an electrically heated wire.
• Excess oxygen ensures complete combustion of the
sample.
• Heat produced by the rapid and complete
combustion of the sample heats the water and the
temperature is recorded.
Bomb Calorimeter

• The apparatus is well

insulated to prevent heat
loss.

• The amount of heat

used to start burning can
be calculated and
removed.
Heat of Combustion of Different Fuels

• Methane (natural gas) -890 kj mol -1

• Propane (LPG) -2219 kj mol-1
• Hydrogen -286 kj mol -1
• Petrol (octane) -5470 kj mol -1
Heat of Formation

• The heat of formation is the heat change in

kilojoules, when one mole of a substance is
formed from its elements in their standard state.
Law of Conversation of Energy

• The law of conversation energy states that

energy cannot be created or destroyed, but only
changed from one form to another.
 Hess’s Law

• Hess’s
  Law states that the heat change of a reaction
depends only on the initial and final states of the
reaction and is independent of the route by which the
reaction may occur.
• For a reaction described by a given equation, the heat
of reaction equals the sum of the heats of formation
of the products of the reaction less the sum of the
heats of formation of the reactants of the reaction.
• r= f (products) - f (reactants)
 End of the presentation
Thank you!

Prepared by: Angelika Bernal