What is the difference between exothermic and endothermic process

Whether a reaction is endothermic or exothermic depends on the direction that it is going; some reactions are reversible, and when you revert the products back to reactants, the change in enthalpy is opposite. Boundless vets and curates high-quality, openly licensed content from around the Internet. This particular resource used the following sources:. Skip to main content. Search for:. Exothermic and Endothermic Processes. Learning Objective Distinguish between endothermic and exothermic reactions.

Key Points All chemical reactions involve the transfer of energy. Endothermic processes require an input of energy to proceed and are signified by a positive change in enthalpy. Exothermic reactions are chemical reactions that release heat energy to the surrounding. This means the energy is released to the outside when the chemical reaction progresses.

Since the internal energy is released from the system, the enthalpy of the products is lower than the enthalpy of reactants. The change in the enthalpy is a negative value now since the internal energy of reactants is less due to the release of energy. The temperature of the system will increase as the exothermic reaction proceeds. Therefore, one can guess whether a particular chemical reaction is endothermic or exothermic just by touching the wall of the container where the reaction is taking place.

In an exothermic reaction, the container will get warmer. Figure 2: Enthalpies of reactants and products of an exothermic reaction. Endothermic Reactions: Endothermic reactions are chemical reactions that absorb heat energy from the surrounding. Exothermic Reactions: Exothermic reactions are chemical reactions that release heat energy to the surrounding. Endothermic Reactions: The temperature decrease with the progression of endothermic reactions. Exothermic Reactions: The temperature increase with the progression of exothermic reactions.

Endothermic Reactions: The enthalpy of reactants is lower than that of products in endothermic reactions. What is an exothermic reaction? Exothermic vs Endothermic Processes in Physics Classifying a physical reaction or process as exothermic or endothermic can often be counterintuitive.

In Chemistry In chemistry, endothermic and exothermic only consider the change in enthalpy a measure of the total energy of the system ; a full analysis adds additional term to the equation for entropy and temperature.

Everyday Examples Endothermic and exothermic reactions are frequently seen in everyday phenomena. Examples of endothermic reactions: Photosynthesis : As a tree grows, it absorbs energy from the environment to break apart CO2 and H2O. Evaporation: Sweating cools a person down as water draws heat to change into gas form. Cooking an egg: Energy is absorbed from the pan to cook the egg. Examples of exothermic reactions: Formation of rain: The condensation of water vapor into rain expels heat.

Concrete: When water is added to concrete, chemical reactions release heat. References Endothermic and Exothermic Processes - Mr. Kent's Chemistry Page What are some examples of exothermic and endothermic processes? Follow Share Cite Authors. Share this comparison: If you read this far, you should follow us: "Endothermic vs Exothermic Reactions.

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