Topic 4 Exercise 1 – Enthalpy Changes

The chemical potential energy of a substance is known as its ENTHALPY and has the symbol
H.

During chemical reactions, the enthalpy can increase or decrease. The change in enthalpy during
chemical reactions is called the ENTHALPY CHANGE (ΔH). It usually has units of kJmol-1.

Almost all reactions require an initial input of energy in order to break the bonds in the reactants.
This energy is called the ACTIVATION ENERGY (Ea).

1. What is meant by the term ‘exothermic reaction’? Describe the energy changes
which take place in an exothermic chemical reaction.

2. The combustion of methane is an exothermic reaction:

CH4 + 2O2  CO2 + 2H2O ΔH = -890 kJmol-1
Draw an enthalpy profile diagram for the combustion of methane. Label the
reactants and products, enthalpy change and activation energy.

Explain why the enthalpy increases before it decreases.

3. What will be the enthalpy change for the following reaction?

CO2 + 2H2O  CH4 + 2O2
4. a) Calculate the heat energy released when 100 g of methane is burned

b) Calculate the heat energy released when 500 cm3 of methane is burned at
298 K and 300 kPa

c) Calculate the mass of methane required to produce 50,000 kJ of heat

energy.

5. What is meant by the term ‘endothermic reaction’? Describe the energy changes
which take place in an endothermic chemical reaction.

6. Photosynthesis is an endothermic reaction:

6CO2 + 6H2O  C6H12O6 + 6O2 ΔH = +2802 kJmol-1
Draw an enthalpy profile diagram for photosynthesis. Label the reactants and
products, enthalpy change and activation energy.

7. What will be the enthalpy change for the following reaction?

C6H12O6 + 6O2  6CO2 + 6H2O
8. a) Calculate the amount of light energy required to make 1000 g of glucose.

b) Calculate the amount of light energy required to absorb 500 cm3 of carbon
dioxide is at 298 K and 100 kPa

c) Calculate the mass of glucose which can be made when a tree absorbs
10,000 kJ of light energy.
 Topic 4 Exercise 2 - bond dissociation energies

1. Define the term ‘bond dissociation energy’

bond Hb/kJmol-1 bond Hb/kJmol-1 bond Hb/kJmol-1

C-H +413 H-F +565 C=C +611
C-Br +280 N≡N +945 H-H +435
H-Br +366 F-F +158 N-H +391
Br-Br +193 C=O +805 O=O +498
C-C +347 O-H +464 I-I +151

2. Use the information in the table above to calculate approximate energy

changes for the following reactions:

a) CH4(g) + Br2(g)  CH3Br(g) + HBr(g)

b) CH4(g) + 2O2(g)  CO2(g) + 2H2O(l)

c) H2(g) + F2(g)  2HF(g)

d) N2(g) + 3H2(g)  2NH3(g)

3. The enthalpy change for the following reaction:

H2(g) + I2(g)  2HI(g) is -9 kJmol-1
Use this information and the values in the above table to calculate the bond
dissociation energy for the H-I bond

4. Explain why using bond dissociation energies only give you an approximate
value for the overall energy change
 Topic 4 Exercise 3 – measuring enthalpy changes

In all the following questions, assume that the densities and specific heat
capacities of the solutions are the same as pure water
i.e. ρ = 1.0 gcm-3 and c = 4.18 Jg-1K-1

1. Zinc will displace copper from copper (II) sulphate solution according to the
following equation:
CuSO4(aq) + Zn(s)  Cu(s) + ZnSO4(aq)
If an excess of zinc powder is added to 50 cm3 of 1.0 moldm-3 copper(II) sulphate,
the temperature increases by 6.3 oC. Calculate the enthalpy change for the
reaction.

2. Magnesium will also displace copper from copper (II) sulphate solution. If an
excess of magnesium is added to 100 cm3 of 1.0 moldm-3 copper(II) sulphate, the
temperature increases by 46.3 oC. Calculate the molar enthalpy change for the
reaction

3. When 5.73 g of sodium chloride (NaCl) dissolves in 100 cm3 of water, the
temperature of the water fell from 22.4 oC to 19.8 oC. Calculate the enthalpy
change of the reaction.

4. When 2.3 g of magnesium chloride dissolves in 200 cm3 of water, the temperature
rose by 3.4 oC. Calculate the enthalpy change for the reaction.

5. If 50 cm3 of 0.1 moldm-3 HCl and 50 cm3 of 0.1 moldm-3 NaOH are mixed, the
temperature of the solution rises by 0.68 oC. Calculate the enthalpy change of the
reaction in kJmol-1.

6. If 50 cm3 of 1.0 moldm-3 NaOH is added to 25 cm3 of 2.0 moldm-3 CH3COOH,

the temperature rose by 8.3 oC. Calculate the molar enthalpy change for the
reaction.

7. A spirit burner containing ethanol (C2H5OH) was used to heat 100 cm3 of water in
a copper can by 30 oC. As a result, the mass of the spirit burner decreased by 0.62
g. Calculate the enthalpy of combustion of ethanol.

8. A spirit burner containing butan-1-ol (C4H9OH) was used to heat 200 cm3 of
water in a copper can by 20 oC. As a result, the mass of the spirit burner decreased
by 0.81 g. Calculate the enthalpy of combustion of butan-1-ol.

9. Explain why measuring energy changes tend to result in an underestimate of the

actual energy change in the reaction.
 Topic 4 Exercise 4 – Formation and Combustion Equations

1. Define the term “standard enthalpy of formation”

2. Write equations which represent the standard enthalpy of formation of the following
substances:

a) MgO

b) CO2

c) C4H10

d) C2H6O

e) Al2O3

3. Explain why the enthalpy of formation of all elements is always zero.

4. Define the term “standard enthalpy of combustion”

5. Write equations which represent the standard enthalpy of combustion of the following
substances:

a) CH4

b) C6H6

c) C2H6O

d) H2

e) Al

6. Identify three substances for which the enthalpy of combustion is zero.

 Topic 4 Exercise 5 - Hess' Law

Using standard enthalpies of formation

1. Given the following data:

Substance H2O(l) CO2(g) Ethane C2H6(g) Ethene C2H4(g)

Hf/kJmol-1 -286 -393 -84 +52

a) Write equations for the complete combustion of

i) ethane
ii) ethene

b) Calculate the enthalpy of combustion in each case using the above data.

2. Given the following data: Hf(CH4) = -74.8 kJmol-1, Hf(CH3Cl) = -134.5 kJmol-1,
Hf(HCl) = -92.3 kJmol-1;
Calculate H for the reaction CH4(g) + Cl2(g)  CH3Cl(g) + HCl(g)

3. Given the data:

Substance H2O(l) NH3(g)

Hf/kJmol-1 -286 -46

Calculate the enthalpy change of the following reaction:

4NH3(g) + 3O2(g)  2N2(g) + 6H2O(l)

4. Given the data:

Substance B2H6(g) B2O3(s) C6H6(g) CO2(g) H2O(g)

Hf/kJmol-1 +31.4 -1270 +83.9 -393 -242

Calculate the enthalpy of combustion of gaseous diborane and gaseous benzene given
that they burn according to the following equations:
B2H6(g) + 3O2(g)  B2O3(s) + 3H2O(g), C6H6(g) + 7.5O2(g)  6CO2(g) + 3H2O(g)

5. The enthalpy of combustion of ethanol is -1380 kJmol-1. Calculate the enthalpy of

formation of ethanol, given that the enthalpies of formation of carbon dioxide and
water are -393.7 and -285.9 kJmol-1 respectively.
 Using standard enthalpies of combustion

6. Calculate the enthalpy of formation of butane (C4H10) from the following data:

Enthalpy of combustion of graphite = -393.6 kJmol-1

Enthalpy of combustion of hydrogen = -285.9 kJmol-1
Enthalpy of combustion of butane = -2877.1 kJmol-1

7. Given the following data:

Substance CH3CH2CH2CH3 CH3CH2CH=CH2 H2

Hc/kJmol-1 -2877 -2717 -286

Calculate H for the following reaction: CH3CH2CH=CH2 + H2  CH3CH2CH2CH3

8. Given the following data:

CH4(g) + 2O2(g)  CO2(g) + 2H2O(l) H = -890 kJmol-1

CO(g) + 1/2O2(g)  CO2(g) H = -284 kJmol-1
C(s) + O2(g)  CO2(g) H = -393 kJmol-1
H2(g) + 1/2O2(g)  H2O(l) H = -286 kJmol-1

Calculate:
a) The enthalpy of formation of methane
b) The enthalpy of formation of carbon monoxide
c) The enthalpy change when methane is burned in limited oxygen to form carbon
monoxide and water.
 Topic 4 Answers to Exercises

Topic 4 Exercise 1

1. A reaction in which heat energy is released into the surroundings.

Chemical potential energy (enthalpy) is converted into heat energy.
2.

The enthalpy increases before it decreases because energy is required to

break the existing bonds before the energy is released when the new bonds
are made.
3. +890 kJmol-1
4. a) 5560 kJ
b) 53.9 kJ
c) 899 g
5. A reaction in which heat energy is absorbed from the surroundings. Heat
energy is converted into chemical potential energy (enthalpy).
6.

7. -2802 kJmol-1
8. a) 15600 kJ
b) 9.43 kJ
c) 642.4 g
Topic 4 Exercise 2

1. The energy required to break one mole of a covalent bond

Homolytically
In the gas phase
Averaged over a range of different environments
2. a) -40 kJmol-1
b) -818 kJmol-1
c) -537 kJmol-1
d) -96 kJmol-1
3. 298 kJmol-1
4. Bond energies are average values and the average value may be different from the
bond energy in that particular environment

Topic 4 Exercise 3

1. -26.3 kJmol-1 2. -193.5 kJmol-1 3. +11.1 kJmol-1

4. -118 kJmol-1 5. -56.8 kJmol -1 6. -52.0 kJmol-1
7. -930 kJmol-1 8. -1530 kJmol -1

9. They do not take into account heat loss to the surroundings or the heat capacity of the
calorimeter.

Topic 4 Exercise 4

1. Enthalpy change when one mole of a compound

Is formed from its elements
With all reactants and products in their standard states under standard conditions
2. a) Mg(s) + 1/2O2(g) MgO(s)
b) C(s) + O2(g)  CO2(g)
c) 4C(s) + 5H2(g)  C4H10(g)
d) 2C(s) + 3H2(g) + 1/2O2(g)  C2H6O(l)
e) 2Al(s) + 3/2O2(g)  Al2O3(s)
3. By definition - because they are already elements in their standard states
4. Enthalpy change when one mole of a substance
Is completely burned in excess oxygen
With all reactants and products in their standard states under standard conditions
5. Write equations which represent the standard enthalpy of combustion of the
following substances:
a) CH4(g) + 2O2(g)  CO2(g) + 2H2O(l)
b) C6H6(g) + 7.5O2(g)  6CO2(g) + 3H2O(l)
c) C2H6O(g) + 3O2(g)  2CO2(g) + 3H2O(l)
d) H2(g) + 1/2O2(g)  H2O(l)
e) Al(s) + 3/4O2(g)  1/2Al2O3(s)
6. O2, CO2, H2O
Topic 4 Exercise 5

1. a) i) C2H6(g) + 3½O2(g)  2CO2(g) + 3H2O(l)

ii) C2H4(g) + 3O2(g)  2CO2(g) + 2H2O(l)
b) i) -1558.9 kJmol-1 ii) -1410 kJmol-1
2. -152 kJmol-1 3. -1532 kJmol-1
4. diborane: -2027.4 kJmol -1 benzene: -3167.9 kJmol-1
5. -265.1 kJmol-1 6. -126.8 kJmol-1 7. -126 kJmol-1
8. a) -75 kJmol -1 b) -109 kJmol -1 c) -606 kJmol-1