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Chemical Reactions

Exothermic and endothermic reactions, and reaction profiles

  • 3 things to know
  • Paper 9 (Chemistry)

Overview

What exothermic and endothermic reactions are, how a temperature change shows which is happening, examples including combustion, neutralisation, hand warmers and cold packs, drawing and labelling reaction profiles with the activation energy and overall energy change, and what accurate, precise, repeatable and reproducible results and random and systematic errors mean when measuring a temperature change.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

Describe a reaction profile: the endothermic energy levels, the hump to cross before reaction can happen, the four labels and the exothermic sign.

Key term

What is an exothermic reaction?

Key term

What is an endothermic reaction?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    What is an exothermic reaction?

    Model answer

    One that transfers energy out to the surroundings, so the temperature of the surroundings rises.

  2. 2

    What is an endothermic reaction?

    Model answer

    One that takes in energy from the surroundings, so the temperature of the surroundings falls.

  3. 3

    How does a thermometer in the reaction mixture tell you which type of reaction is happening?

    Model answer

    A rise in temperature shows the reaction is exothermic and a fall shows it is endothermic.

  4. 4

    Give two examples of exothermic reactions.

    Model answer

    Combustion and neutralisation.

  5. 5

    Give two examples of endothermic changes.

    Model answer

    Thermal decomposition and the reaction of citric acid with sodium hydrogencarbonate.

  6. 6

    Two solutions are mixed and the outside of the beaker feels cold. What type of reaction is this?

    Model answer

    Endothermic, because energy is being taken in from the surroundings including the beaker.

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