CIE Chemistry Chapter 5 - Chemical Energetics

5 Chemical energetics
Heat Exchange in Reactions

● Chemical reactions occur so that elements can achieve a more stable energy
state by gaining a full outer shell of electrons
● This is done by chemical bonding (we have already seen ionic and covalent
bonding) where old bonds are broken, and new bonds are formed)
● This process involves the transfer of thermal energy into and out of
reaction mixtures
● The terms used to describe this are the system (what happens in the
chemical reaction) and the surroundings (anything other than the chemicals
reacting)
● The energy within the system comes from the chemical bonds themselves
which could be considered as tiny stores of chemical energy
5.1 Exothermic and endothermic reactions
1 State that an exothermic reaction transfers thermal energy to the

surroundings leading to an increase in the temperature of the surroundings
Exothermic Reactions
● In exothermic reactions thermal energy is transferred to the surroundings
so the temperature of the surroundings increases
● This energy is transferred from the chemical energy store of the chemical
system to the surroundings and so the energy of the system falls - this
means that the energy change is negative
● The overall transfer is from the system to the surroundings
● Combustion, oxidation, and neutralization reactions are typical exothermic
reactions
Diagram showing the transfer of heat energy outwards from an exothermic
reaction
2 State that an endothermic reaction takes in thermal energy from the

surroundings leading to a decrease in the temperature of the surroundings
Endothermic Reactions
● In endothermic reactions thermal energy is taken in from the surroundings
so the temperature of the surroundings decreases
● This energy is transferred to the chemical energy store of the chemical
system and so the energy of the system increases - this means the energy
change is positive
● The overall transfer is from the surroundings to the system
● These types of reactions are much less common than the exothermic
reactions
● Electrolysis, thermal decomposition reactions and the first stages of
photosynthesis are typical endothermic reactions
Diagram showing the transfer of heat energy from the surroundings into an
endothermic reaction
3 State that the transfer of thermal energy during a reaction is called the
enthalpy change, ΔH, of the reaction. ΔH is negative for exothermic
reactions and positive for endothermic reactions
4 Define activation energy, Ea , as the minimum energy that colliding particles

must have to react
5 Draw, label and interpret reaction pathway diagrams for exothermic and
endothermic reactions using information provided, to include:
(a) reactants
(b) products
(c) enthalpy change of the reaction, ΔH
(d) activation energy, Ea
Energy Level Diagrams

● Reaction pathway diagrams are graphical representations of the relative
energies of the reactants and products in chemical reactions
● The energy of the reactants and products are displayed on the y-axis and
the reaction pathway is shown on the x-axis
● The difference in height between the energy of reactants and products
represents the overall energy change of a reaction.
● Arrows on the diagrams indicate whether the reaction is exothermic (overall
reaction arrow is downwards pointing, showing that the system has lost
energy) or endothermic (overall reaction arrow is upwards pointing, showing
that the system has gained energy)
● The initial increase in energy represents the activation energy (Ea), which is
the minimum energy that colliding particles must have in order to react
● The greater the initial rise, the more energy that is required to get the
reaction going e.g. more heat needed
● You can identify a reaction pathway diagram for an exothermic reaction as
the energy of the product is lower than the reactants (as thermal energy
has been transferred to the surroundings)
● You can identify a reaction pathway diagram for an endothermic reaction as
the energy of the product is higher than the reactants (as thermal energy
has been taken in from the surroundings)
Reaction profile of an exothermic reaction and an endothermic reaction
Enthalpy Change & Activation Energy
EXTENDED
● For atoms or particles to react with each other in a chemical system they
must first of all come into contact with each other in a collision
● A number of factors come into play when analyzing collisions such as energy,
orientation, and number of collisions per second (the frequency of collisions)
● In terms of the energy of the collision, there is a minimum amount of energy
required for the collision to be successful, that is for the particles to react
together
● This minimum amount of energy is called the activation energy (Ea)
● Different reactions have different activation energies, depending on the
chemical identities involved
● Reactions which have higher activation energies require more energy to
start than those with lower activation energies
● The transfer of thermal energy during a reaction is called the enthalpy
change, ΔH, of the reaction.
● ΔH is either a positive or a negative value depending on whether the
reaction is exothermic or endothermic
Reaction Pathway Diagrams
Exothermic reactions
● If more energy is released than is absorbed, then the reaction is exothermic

● More energy is released when new bonds are formed than energy required to
break the bonds in the reactants
● The change in energy is negative since the products have less energy than
the reactants
● Therefore an exothermic reaction has a negative ΔH value
● The reaction pathway diagram for an exothermic reaction is shown below
The reaction pathway diagram for exothermic reactions
Endothermic reactions
● If more energy is absorbed to break bonds than is released to form new

bonds, this reaction is endothermic overall
● The change in energy is positive since the products have more energy than
the reactants
● Therefore an endothermic reaction has a positive ΔH value, which is shown
on the energy level diagrams and in calculations
The reaction pathway diagram for endothermic reactions.
6 State that bond breaking is an endothermic process and bond making is an

exothermic process and explain the enthalpy change of a reaction in terms of bond
breaking and bond making
● Whether a reaction is endothermic or exothermic depends on the
difference between the energy needed to break existing bonds and the
energy released when the new bonds are formed
● Bond breaking is always an endothermic process as energy needs to be taken
in from the surroundings to break the chemical bonds
● Bond making is always an exothermic process as energy is transferred to the
surroundings as the new bond is formed
Exothermic reactions
● If more energy is released than is absorbed, then the reaction is exothermic
● More energy is released when new bonds are formed than energy required to
break the bonds in the reactants
● The change in energy is negative since the products have less energy than
the reactants
● Therefore an exothermic reaction has a negative ΔH value
Making new chemical bonds releases energy which radiates outwards from the
reaction to the surroundings in the form of heat
Endothermic reactions
● If more energy is absorbed to break bonds than is released to form new
bonds, this reaction is endothermic overall
● The change in energy is positive since the products have more energy than
the reactants
● The symbol ΔH (delta H) is used to show the change in heat energy. H is the
symbol for enthalpy, which is a measure of the total heat of reaction of a
chemical reaction
● Therefore an endothermic reaction has a positive ΔH value, which is shown
on the energy level diagrams and in calculations
Breaking chemical bonds requires energy which is taken in from the surroundings in
the form of heat
7 Calculate the enthalpy change of a reaction using bond energies

Energy of reaction calculations
● Each chemical bond has specific bond energy associated with it

● This is the amount of energy required to break the bond or the amount of
energy given out when the bond is formed
● This energy can be used to calculate how much heat would be released or
absorbed in a reaction
● To do this it is necessary to know the bonds present in both the reactants
and products
Method
● Write a balanced equation if none is present already

● Optional - draw the displayed formula in order to identify the type and
number of bonds more easily
● Add together all the bond energies for all the bonds in the reactants – this
is the ‘energy in’
● Add together the bond energies for all the bonds in the products – this is
the ‘energy out’
● Calculate the enthalpy change:
Enthalpy change (ΔH) = Energy taken in - Energy given out
Worked example
Hydrogen bromide decomposes to form hydrogen and bromine:
2HBr ⟶ H2 + Br2
The table below shows the bond energies.
Calculate the enthalpy change, ΔH, for the reaction and deduce whether it is
exothermic or endothermic.

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5 Chemical energetics

Heat Exchange in Reactions

5.1 Exothermic and endothermic reactions

1 State that an exothermic reaction transfers thermal energy to the

2 State that an endothermic reaction takes in thermal energy from the

4 Define activation energy, Ea , as the minimum energy that colliding particles

Energy Level Diagrams

Enthalpy Change & Activation Energy

Reaction Pathway Diagrams

● If more energy is released than is absorbed, then the reaction is exothermic

● If more energy is absorbed to break bonds than is released to form new

The reaction pathway diagram for endothermic reactions.

6 State that bond breaking is an endothermic process and bond making is an

7 Calculate the enthalpy change of a reaction using bond energies

● Each chemical bond has specific bond energy associated with it

● Write a balanced equation if none is present already

Enthalpy change (ΔH) = Energy taken in - Energy given out

The table below shows the bond energies.

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