1.7 - Practice Problems for Section 1

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Understanding Enthalpy Changes

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Teacher
Teacher

Today, weโ€™ll explore how to determine if a reaction is exothermic or endothermic using enthalpy values. Can anyone remind me what enthalpy signifies?

Student 1
Student 1

Isn't it the total heat content of a system?

Teacher
Teacher

Exactly! Enthalpy is about heat under constant pressure. What do we understand by exothermic and endothermic reactions?

Student 2
Student 2

Exothermic reactions release heat, and endothermic reactions absorb heat.

Teacher
Teacher

Great! Now remember the acronym 'HEAT' where H equals heat flow. Letโ€™s dive into our first practice problem!

Example Problem - Exothermic vs Endothermic

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Teacher
Teacher

Letโ€™s determine if the reaction of nitrogen and oxygen to form nitrogen monoxide is exothermic or endothermic. What's our enthalpy of formation for the products?

Student 3
Student 3

ฮ”H_fยฐ for NO is +90.3 kJ/mol!

Teacher
Teacher

Correct! Now, since nitrogen and oxygen are both in their standard states, how do we calculate the overall enthalpy change?

Student 4
Student 4

We use the equation ฮ”H_rxnยฐ = ฮฃ ฮ”H_fยฐ(products) โ€“ ฮฃ ฮ”H_fยฐ(reactants).

Teacher
Teacher

Exactly! Remember, the heat flow we calculate helps us determine if the reaction is exothermic or not. Can anyone summarize how we arrive at our final answer?

Hess's Law Application

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Teacher
Teacher

Now, letโ€™s connect it to Hess's Lawโ€”how do we leverage this law for complex reactions?

Student 2
Student 2

We can break the overall reaction into multiple steps and sum their enthalpy changes.

Teacher
Teacher

Absolutely! Letโ€™s use the combustion of methane as our example, giving us a practical en route to verifying our calculations.

Student 1
Student 1

By using the known values of the enthalpies of formation for the reactants and products, we can find our ฮ”H for the overall reaction!

Teacher
Teacher

Exactly! Remember, Hess's Law emphasizes that the path doesnโ€™t affect the overall enthalpy change. Letโ€™s summarize what we learned.

Introduction & Overview

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Quick Overview

This section provides practice problems to apply and reinforce understanding of enthalpy changes and calculations in thermochemistry.

Standard

The section presents a series of practice problems that require students to determine whether reactions are exothermic or endothermic and to compute enthalpy changes based on provided standard enthalpies of formation. The problems progress in complexity, encouraging the application of Hess's Law and the calculation of reaction enthalpies.

Detailed

In Section 1.7, we delve into practical applications of enthalpy concepts by solving practice problems aimed at determining whether specific chemical reactions are exothermic or endothermic. Each problem is structured to guide students through the necessary calculations, including the use of standard enthalpies of formation and Hess's Law. The problems require students to demonstrate their understanding of key concepts through systematic calculation and reasoning, ensuring they can apply theoretical knowledge to real chemical reactions. This section is essential for solidifying students' grasp on thermochemistry, paving the way for advanced studies in calorimetry and reaction energetics.

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Practice Problem 1: Endothermic vs. Exothermic Reaction

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  1. Problem: Determine whether each of the following reactions is exothermic or endothermic, given these enthalpies of formation:
  2. ฮ”H_fยฐ[NO(g)] = +90.3 kJ/mol
  3. ฮ”H_fยฐ[Nโ‚‚(g)] = 0
  4. ฮ”H_fยฐ[Oโ‚‚(g)] = 0
    Reaction: Nโ‚‚(g) + Oโ‚‚(g) โ†’ 2 NO(g)

Detailed Explanation

To determine if a reaction is exothermic or endothermic, you can calculate the reaction's enthalpy change (ฮ”H_rxnยฐ) using the standard enthalpies of formation (ฮ”H_fยฐ) of the reactants and products.

Hereโ€™s how to do it step-by-step:
1. Write the formula for ฮ”H_rxnยฐ = ฮฃ ฮ”H_fยฐ(products) โ€“ ฮฃ ฮ”H_fยฐ(reactants).
2. Calculate the total enthalpy of the products, which in this case is 2 moles of NO having ฮ”H_fยฐ = +90.3 kJ/mol. Therefore, products total = 2 ร— 90.3 = +180.6 kJ.
3. For the reactants Nโ‚‚(g) and Oโ‚‚(g), look up their standard enthalpy values. Both Nโ‚‚ and Oโ‚‚ have ฮ”H_fยฐ of 0, leading to a total of 0 kJ.
4. Now plug into the formula:
- ฮ”H_rxnยฐ = +180.6 kJ โ€“ 0 = +180.6 kJ.
5. Since ฮ”H is positive, this indicates the reaction is endothermic (it absorbs heat).

Examples & Analogies

Think of making a smoothie. When you blend ice (solid) and fruit (which is typically at room temperature), the ice absorbs heat from the fruit and the surrounding environment to melt. In this process, the mixture feels cold because it absorbs heat. This is similar to an endothermic reaction where energy is absorbed from the surroundings.

Practice Problem 2: Enthalpy Change Calculation

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  1. Problem: Using ฮ”H_fยฐ values below, calculate ฮ”H_rxnยฐ for:
  2. ฮ”H_fยฐ[CO(g)] = โ€“110.5 kJ/mol
  3. ฮ”H_fยฐ[Oโ‚‚(g)] = 0
  4. ฮ”H_fยฐ[COโ‚‚(g)] = โ€“393.5 kJ/mol
    Reaction: CO(g) + ยฝ Oโ‚‚(g) โ†’ COโ‚‚(g)

Detailed Explanation

To calculate the enthalpy change (ฮ”H_rxnยฐ) for the reaction, we follow these steps:
1. Identify the products and their ฮ”H_fยฐ values. For COโ‚‚(g), ฮ”H_fยฐ = โ€“393.5 kJ/mol. Since we have 1 mole of COโ‚‚ produced, total for products = โ€“393.5 kJ.
2. Identify the reactants. For CO(g), ฮ”H_fยฐ = โ€“110.5 kJ/mol and for Oโ‚‚(g), it is 0. For the reactants sum: CO = -110.5 kJ + 0 (for Oโ‚‚) = -110.5 kJ.
3. Use the formula: ฮ”H_rxnยฐ = ฮฃ ฮ”H_fยฐ(products) โ€“ ฮฃ ฮ”H_fยฐ(reactants).
4. Now plug in: ฮ”H_rxnยฐ = -393.5 kJ โ€“ (-110.5 kJ) = -393.5 + 110.5 = -283.0 kJ.
5. Hence, ฮ”H_rxnยฐ for this reaction shows it is exothermic since it is negative.

Examples & Analogies

Imagine a campfire. When wood burns (similar to our reaction where CO is oxidized), it releases a significant amount of heat and light into the environment, indicating an exothermic reaction. The heat released can be very comforting on a cold night, similar to how enthalpy change in a combustion reaction releases heat energy.

Practice Problem 3: Standard Enthalpy of Combustion

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  1. Problem: Given ฮ”H_fยฐ for CHโ‚ƒOH(l) = โ€“238.7 kJ/mol, ฮ”H_fยฐ for COโ‚‚(g) = โ€“393.5 kJ/mol, and ฮ”H_fยฐ for Hโ‚‚O(l) = โ€“285.8 kJ/mol, calculate ฮ”H_cยฐ for methanol:
    2 Oโ‚‚(g) + CHโ‚ƒOH(l) โ†’ COโ‚‚(g) + 2 Hโ‚‚O(l)

Detailed Explanation

To calculate the standard enthalpy of combustion (ฮ”H_cยฐ) of methanol, we need to follow similar steps:
1. Identify the products and their formation enthalpy:
- For COโ‚‚(g), we have ฮ”H_fยฐ = โ€“393.5 kJ, and for 2 Hโ‚‚O(l), total = 2 ร— โ€“285.8 kJ = โ€“571.6 kJ.
2. For the reactants, CHโ‚ƒOH(l) = โ€“238.7 kJ and Oโ‚‚(g) = 0.
3. So, the total for products = โ€“393.5 + (โ€“571.6) = โ€“965.1 kJ.
4. The total for reactants = โ€“238.7 kJ + 0 = โ€“238.7 kJ.
5. Now calculate ฮ”H_cยฐ using the formula:
- ฮ”H_cยฐ = (โ€“965.1 kJ) - (โ€“238.7 kJ) = โ€“965.1 + 238.7 = โ€“726.4 kJ per mole of methanol.
6. Therefore, the enthalpy of combustion shows that burning methanol is highly exothermic.

Examples & Analogies

Think about how alcohol lamps work during camping trips. When you light the alcohol (methanol), it burns, producing heat and light, simulating a small fire. The heat produced is similar to how exothermic combustion reactions release energy, brightening your surroundings and keeping it warm.

Definitions & Key Concepts

Learn essential terms and foundational ideas that form the basis of the topic.

Key Concepts

  • Enthalpy Change: A measure of the heat exchanged at constant pressure during a chemical reaction.

  • Exothermic vs Endothermic: Understanding these terms is crucial to interpreting reaction energetics.

  • Hess's Law: A valuable tool for solving complex enthalpy problems by breaking them into simpler steps.

Examples & Real-Life Applications

See how the concepts apply in real-world scenarios to understand their practical implications.

Examples

    1. The formation of nitrogen monoxide from nitrogen and oxygen illustrates how the enthalpy change is calculated with their enthalpies of formation.
    1. The combustion of methane demonstrates how Hess's Law can be applied to derive enthalpy changes from known values.

Memory Aids

Use mnemonics, acronyms, or visual cues to help remember key information more easily.

๐ŸŽต Rhymes Time

  • When heat flows out, an exothermic shout; Endothermic takes it in, that's how we win!

๐Ÿ“– Fascinating Stories

  • Imagine a campfire, where wood burns bright and warm. The heat spreads out, making the night delight. That's exothermic, for sure; it gives heat away!

๐Ÿง  Other Memory Gems

  • Remember 'HEAT'โ€”H for heat, E for energy released in exothermic, A for absorbed in endothermic, and T for thermodynamics.

๐ŸŽฏ Super Acronyms

Use 'E' for Endo and 'X' for Exo

  • 'E' absorbs (Endothermic) and 'X' exchanges heat (Exothermic).

Flash Cards

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Glossary of Terms

Review the Definitions for terms.

  • Term: Exothermic Reaction

    Definition:

    A reaction that releases heat into the surroundings, resulting in a negative enthalpy change (ฮ”H < 0).

  • Term: Endothermic Reaction

    Definition:

    A reaction that absorbs heat from the surroundings, resulting in a positive enthalpy change (ฮ”H > 0).

  • Term: Enthalpy of Formation (ฮ”H_fยฐ)

    Definition:

    The change in enthalpy when one mole of a compound is formed from its elements in their standard states.

  • Term: Hess's Law

    Definition:

    The principle stating that the total enthalpy change for a reaction is the same, regardless of the path taken, whether it occurs in one step or several steps.

  • Term: Standard Conditions

    Definition:

    A set of conditions, often 1 bar pressure and 298.15 K (25 ยฐC), used for measuring and reporting enthalpy changes.