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Enthalpy and Enthalpy Changes

Enthalpy is a measure of the total energy of a chemical system. The enthalpy change of a process is the heat energy that is transferred between the system and its surroundings at constant pressure.The difference in the enthalpy of the reactants and products is called the enthalpy change ΔH.ΔH = Hproducts - HreactantsExothermic processes transfer heat energy from the system to the surroundings. The temperature increases. ΔH is negative.Endothermic processes transfer heat energy from the surroundings to the system. The temperature decreases. ΔH is positive.

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Specification: OCR Chemistry A (H032), AS-level, 3.2.1 Enthalpy changes. Topic: Enthalpy.

Key terms in this lesson

Exothermic
Describes a process in which heat energy is transferred from the system to the surroundings, so the enthalpy change is negative.
Endothermic
Describes a process in which heat energy is transferred from the surroundings to the system, so the enthalpy change is positive.

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