Science 10

Unit 2: Chemistry

Book 6: energy changes in

chemical reactions

Name: Block:
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How is energy involved in chemical processes?
and energy are continually interacting
in the world around us.
For any chemical reaction to occur, the reactants must
with the products with enough
to begin to break the bonds in the reactants.
This minimum amount of energy needed for a reaction to
occur is called the energy.
It if often useful to think of the activation energy as a barrier or “hill” that needs to be overcome for a reaction
to begin.
Many chemical reactions require an  the reactant will not react by
simply mixing them together.
For example: a bbq. The propane and oxygen do not spontaneously ignite as soon as the gas is
turned on. A spark or a lighter is needed. The spark provides a few molecules of oxygen and
propane with enough energy to overcome the energy barrier and react.

The SYSTEM and the SURROUNDINGS

Chemists think of energy changes in chemical reactions in terms of energy transfers between the
and the .
The system is the materials involved in the and everything else in the
universe is the surroundings.
The Law states that the total energy of the universe is
constantenergy cannot be or .
In terms of a chemical reaction, it means that energy that the system must enter the
surroundings, and energy that the system must come from the surroundings.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygyaMUuEyJM (start @ 2:15)

While watching the video, follow along and fill in the blanks below:

Energy Transfers in Reactions:

• Chemical reactions become or as they proceed
• They give out or absorb heat because of the making and breaking of
• Making chemical bonds releases heat energy –
• Breaking chemical bonds requires energy -
• input is often needed to start the reaction

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1. Exothermic Reactions
EXAMPLE 1: What happens when the magnesium metal is placed in hydrochloric acid?

An energy diagram shows that in an reaction the have LESS ENERGY

than the reactants, so the energy left over heats up the .

Many exothermic reactions some heat energy to get them started, for example,
rocket fuel.
The amount of energy it takes for a reaction to get going is called the .
Summary of Exothermic Reactions:
• More energy is by the reactants than is needed by the products
• The excess energy is given off as
• Heat input is often needed to provide activation energy to start the reaction
• Heat from the reaction then keeps the reaction going
EXPERIMENT 2: What happens to the atoms when natural gas (methane CH4) burns in air?
(combustion)
• Heat provides energy to in methane and air (O2)
• Now the atoms can rearrange and form bonds, the reaction products, and

• Water and carbon dioxide don’t need as much energy as the reactants that formed them, so
making bonds
• The spare energy goes out as , overall the reaction is
2. Endothermic Reactions
• An endothermic reaction is the opposite of an exothermic reaction
• It heat

EXPERIMENT 3: What happens to the dry ammonium nitrate crystals and water when an
instant ice pack is broken open?

An energy level diagram shows how the have LESS energy than the products.
That means the reactants have a huge hill to climb for the reaction to go ahead.
They must steal the energy they need from the causing the
temperature to .
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 Summary of Endothermic Reactions:
• energy is needed by the than is released by the reactants
• The energy shortage is taken in as heat from the surroundings
• This creates a effect

Exothermic and Endothermic Reactions

In any chemical reaction:
1. ______________________________________________________
2. ______________________________________________________

There are two kinds of energy changes in chemical reactions:

• In an endothermic reaction, energy is ______________________

by the system from the surroundings.
• In an exothermic reaction, energy is ______________________
from the system to the surroundings.

Endothermic reactions: Heat is absorbed.

1) _______________________________: Plants absorb heat energy from sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water
into glucose and oxygen.
2) _______________________________: Heat energy is absorbed from the pan to cook the egg.

Exothermic reactions: Heat is released.

1) __________________________: The burning of carbon-containing compounds uses oxygen, from air, and produces
carbon dioxide, water, and lots of heat. For example,

Chemists experiment on chemical systems containing reactants and products which exchange energy with the
surroundings - the container and the rest of the universe.

The First Law of Thermodynamics states that:

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

This simple statement means that any energy lost by a system must simultaneously be gained by the surroundings
(or vice versa).

Why is heat released or absorbed in a chemical reaction?

In any chemical reaction, chemical bonds are either __________________ or ___________________.
Rule of thumb is:
"When chemical bonds are formed, heat is released, and when chemical bonds are broken, heat is absorbed."

Molecules want to stay together, so formation of chemical bonds between molecules requires ___________________
as compared to breaking bonds between molecules, which requires ________________________and results in heat
being absorbed from the surroundings.
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REMEMBER: Energy must be absorbed to break bonds and energy is released when bonds form.

1. Energy is __________________ to break the bonds between the atoms in the reactants.
… and immediately afterward …
2. Energy is ________________as the new bonds form between the atoms in the products.
Summarizing:
Bond breaking is always endothermic. The reaction is either endothermic or exothermic
Bond forming is always exothermic. depending on which of these is greater.

By comparing the total energy required when bonds in the reactants are broken, with the total energy released when bonds
in the products are formed, we can determine if there is an overall release of energy or absorption of energy.

Exothermic Reaction: Total energy absorbed in bond breaking < Total energy released during bond forming.
energy1 < energy2

Endothermic Reaction: Total energy absorbed in bond breaking > Total energy released during bond forming.
energy1 > energy2
Measuring Energy Changes
Energy changes in a reaction can be monitored by measuring change in temperature.
DEMO 1: Mg + HCl _______ + _________
Did the temperature increase or decrease?_______, the reaction is ___________________
DEMO 2: Ba(OH)2(s) + 2NH4NO3(s) → Ba(NO3)2(aq) + 2NH3(aq) + 10H2O(l)
Did the temperature increase or decrease?_______, the reaction is ___________________
Enthalpy ΔH
The amount of energy stored in the bonds of the reactants or products in a system is called the _______________ (H)
(from the Greek word enthalpein meaning “to warm”).

Since energy will either be lost or gained by the system during a reaction, the value of H will
___________________ _____________________________________between the reactants and the products.
In other words, there is a change in energy.
• In an endothermic reaction, more energy will be stored in the products than in the reactants: _____________
__________________________________________________________________________________________

• In an exothermic reaction, less energy will be stored in the products than in the reactants: _____________
_________________________________________________________________________________________

We can never really know the internal energy in a system but we can measure the change in this energy.

This change in energy is represented by ΔH where:

∆H = H products – H reactants

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Energy-Level Diagrams
Consider the reaction below: for every molecule of nitrogen that reacts with a molecule of oxygen, 2 molecules
of nitrogen monoxide are produced.
• N-N bonds and O-O bonds are broken.
• The breaking __________________energy.
• _____bonds form, and this releases energy.

• The total energy absorbed to break each N-N bond

and O-O bond is ____________________than the the
total energy released when N-O bonds form.
• Therefore, there is an overall absorption of energy,
and the reaction is __________________________.

The activation energy (EA) is the ________________________in the energy between the transition state and the reactants.
The enthalpy change (ΔH) is the ________________________in the energy between the reactants and the products.

Endothermic Reaction
• The reactants are at a lower energy level
compared to the products
• The products are less stable than the
reactants.
• forcing the reaction in the forward
direction towards more unstable species
• overall ΔH for the reaction is positive,
• energy is absorbed from the surroundings.

Exothermic Reaction
• The reactants are at a higher energy
level compared to the products
• The products are more stable than the
reactants.
• Overall ΔH for the reaction is negative
• Energy is released in the form of heat.

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Representing Energy Changes within Chemical Reaction Equations
 Enthalpy has units of _________________ (J)
 Balanced reaction equations that include the enthalpy change are known as thermochemical equations.
 Enthalpy is an extensive property (the energy lost or gained depends on reactant amounts)
 There are two ways to write them, the first shown being the preferred way:
1. Writing the enthalpy change immediately after the equation - using the sign of ΔH to indicate whether
the change is endothermic or exothermic.
+ 18 H2O; ΔH = ______________
This form
distinguishes Exothermic Example: 2 C8H18 + 25 O2 16 CO2
exothermic from
endothermic by
heat term sign
Endothermic Example: 6 CO2 + 6 H2O C6H12O6 + 6 O2; ΔH = ______________

2. Writing the heat term within the chemical equation - using the side to indicate whether the change is
endothermic or exothermic.
This form
distinguishes Exothermic Example: 2C8H18 + 25O2 16 CO2 + 18 H2O + ____________
exothermic from
endothermic by the
side the heat term Endothermic Example: 6 CO2 + 6 H2O + ____________ C6H12O6 + 6 O2
is written on.

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 Part A: Endothermic and Exothermic Reactions
Below is a set of 20 questions and their answers. However, some of the words have been missed out - see
how many of them you can find! You can use the words in the box more than once.

exothermic temperature alkali acid removed

combustion reversible collide product respiration
less products destroyed increase created
energy reactants bond photosynthesis energy
heat endothermic oxidation bonding

During a chemical reaction what is always transferred? - ____________

Described what is meant by the "conservation of energy" - In a chemical reaction energy cannot

be ______________ or __________________.

How is energy transferred in chemical reactions? - Through the breaking of chemical bonds in the

__________________ and creating new bonds in the ________________

What name is given to reactions that transfer energy to the surroundings? -____________________

How do you know that an exothermic reaction has taken place? - Through an ________________ in

temperature from the reactants to the products.

What is the name given to chemical reactions that transfer energy from the surroundings to the

reactants? - ______________________

Name 2 examples of an exothermic reaction. - oxidation, ____________________,

______________________ or neutralisation

Name 2 examples of an endothermic reaction - ____________________________, sodium hydrogen-

carbonate and citric acid or thermal decomposition

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What does pH7 mean? - The solution is neutral, neither an ________ or an ____________

What is meant by the ______________ of a chemical reaction? - The chemical produced as a result

of a chemical reaction.

What is meant by the "__________________" in a chemical reaction? - The chemicals that you start

off with, before the reaction takes place.

What is meant by "________ ____________"? - The amount of energy needed to break a particular

chemical bond.

Part B: Interpreting Energy in Chemical Formulas

complete the table below by interpreting what it means what HEAT is a reactant or a product.
The first one has been done for you as an example.

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