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The standard enthalpy of reaction (denoted ) for a chemical reaction is the difference between total product and total reactant molar enthalpies, calculated for substances in their standard states. The value can be approximately interpreted in terms of the total of the chemical bond energies for bonds broken and bonds formed.
An enthalpy change describes the change in enthalpy observed in the constituents of a thermodynamic system when undergoing a transformation or chemical reaction. It is the difference between the enthalpy after the process has completed, i.e. the enthalpy of the products assuming that the reaction goes to completion, and the initial enthalpy of ...
Hess's law states that the change of enthalpy in a chemical reaction is the same regardless of whether the reaction takes place in one step or several steps, provided the initial and final states of the reactants and products are the same. Enthalpy is an extensive property, meaning that its value is proportional to the system size. [4]
For many substances, the formation reaction may be considered as the sum of a number of simpler reactions, either real or fictitious. The enthalpy of reaction can then be analyzed by applying Hess' law, which states that the sum of the enthalpy changes for a number of individual reaction steps equals the enthalpy change of the overall reaction.
The Van 't Hoff equation relates the change in the equilibrium constant, K eq, of a chemical reaction to the change in temperature, T, given the standard enthalpy change, Δ r H ⊖, for the process. The subscript r {\displaystyle r} means "reaction" and the superscript ⊖ {\displaystyle \ominus } means "standard".
Enthalpy is the transfer of energy in a reaction (for chemical reactions, it is in the form of heat) and is the change in enthalpy. Δ H {\displaystyle \Delta H} is a state function, meaning that Δ H {\displaystyle \Delta H} is independent of processes occurring between initial and final states.
Therefore, the heat of the reaction is a direct measure of the free energy change, =. In solution chemistry, on the other hand, most chemical reactions are kept at constant pressure. Under this condition, the heat of the reaction is equal to the enthalpy change of the system.
For a chemical reaction to proceed at a reasonable rate, the temperature of the system should be high enough such that there exists an appreciable number of molecules with translational energy equal to or greater than the activation energy. The term "activation energy" was introduced in 1889 by the Swedish scientist Svante Arrhenius. [3]