Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Heat of Reaction

Heat of Reaction

What is it?

The heat of reaction for a chemical reaction is the difference between the heat contained in the products and the heat content of the reactants. This is similar to enthalpy.
Endothermic reactions (ones that absorb heat) have a positive heat of reaction. Exothermic reactions (ones that release heat) have a negative heat of reaction.

Give me an example!

Have you ever watched a candle burn? Do you suppose this is an exothermic or endothermic reaction? Would the heat of reaction be positive or negative in this case?

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