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Enthalpy Change, ΔH (CIE AS Chemistry)

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Enthalpy Changes

  • The total chemical energy inside a substance is called the enthalpy (or heat content)
  • When chemical reactions take place, changes in chemical energy take place and therefore the enthalpy changes
  • An enthalpy change is represented by the symbol ΔH (Δ= change; H = enthalpy)
  • An enthalpy change can be positive or negative

Exothermic reactions

  • A reaction is exothermic when the products have less energy than the reactants
  • Heat energy is given off by the reaction to the surroundings
    • The temperature of the environment increases - this can be measured on a thermometer
    • The temperature of the system decreases

  • There is an enthalpy decrease during the reaction so ΔH is negative
  • Exothermic reactions are thermodynamically possible (because the enthalpy of the reactants is higher than that of the products)
  • However, the rate may be too slow to observe any appreciable reaction
    • In this case the reaction is kinetically controlled
    • This means the reaction could have a high activation energy which is preventing the reaction from taking place.

The enthalpy change during an exothermic reaction

Chemical Energetics Exothermic Reaction, downloadable AS & A Level Chemistry revision notes

Exothermic reactions show a negative enthalpy change as energy is released

Endothermic reactions

  • A reaction is endothermic when the products have more energy than the reactants
  • Heat energy is absorbed by the reaction from the surroundings
    • The temperature of the environment decreases - this can be measured with a thermometer
    • The temperature of the system increases

  • There is an enthalpy increase during the reaction so ΔH is positive

The enthalpy change during an endothermic reaction

Chemical Energetics Endothermic Reaction, downloadable AS & A Level Chemistry revision notes

Endothermic reactions show a positive enthalpy change as energy is absorbed

Examiner Tip

  • It is important to specify the physical states of each species in an equation when dealing with enthalpy changes as any changes in state can cause very large changes of enthalpy.
  • For example:

Na+Cl- (s) → Na+ (aq) + Cl- (aq)   ΔH = +4 kJ mol-1

Na+Cl- (g) → Na+ (g) + Cl- (g)   ΔH = + 500 kJ mol-1

  • Also, remember that the system is the molecules that are reacting (i.e. the reaction itself) and the surroundings are everything else (eg. the flask the reaction is taking place in).

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Caroline

Author: Caroline

Expertise: Physics Lead

Caroline graduated from the University of Nottingham with a degree in Chemistry and Molecular Physics. She spent several years working as an Industrial Chemist in the automotive industry before retraining to teach. Caroline has over 12 years of experience teaching GCSE and A-level chemistry and physics. She is passionate about creating high-quality resources to help students achieve their full potential.