How to Calculate the Enthalpy of a Chemical Reaction
Determine your reaction’s products and reactants., Determine the total mass of the reactants., Find the specific heat of your product., Find the difference in temperature after the reaction., Use the formula ∆H = m x s x ∆T to solve., Determine...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Determine your reaction’s products and reactants.
Any chemical reaction involves two categories of chemicals — products and reactants.
Products are the chemicals created by the reaction, while reactants are the chemicals that interact, combine, or break down to make the product.
In other words, the reactants of a reaction are like the ingredients in a recipe, while the products are like the finished dish.
To find ∆H for a reaction, first identify its products and reactants.
As an example, let’s say we want to find the enthalpy of reaction for the formation of water from hydrogen and oxygen: 2H2 (Hydrogen) + O2 (Oxygen) → 2H2O (Water).
In this equation, H2 and O2 are the reactants and H2O is the product. -
Step 2: Determine the total mass of the reactants.
Next, find the masses of your reactants.
If you don't know their masses and aren't able to weigh the reactants in a scientific balance, you can use their molar masses to find their actual masses.
Molar masses are constants that can be found on standard periodic tables (for individual elements) and in other chemistry resources (for molecules and compounds).
Simply multiply the molar mass of each reactant by the number of moles used to find the reactants' masses.
In our water example, our reactants are hydrogen and oxygen gases, which have molar masses of 2g and 32 g, respectively.
Since we used 2 moles of hydrogen (signified by the "2" coefficient in the equation next to H2) and 1 mole of oxygen (signified by no coefficient next to O2), we can calculate the total mass of the reactants as follows: 2 × (2g) + 1 × (32g) = 4g + 32g = 36g , Next, find the specific heat of the product you're analyzing.
Every element or molecule has a specific heat value associated with it: these values are constants and are usually located in chemistry resources (like, for instance, in tables at the back of a chemistry textbook).
There are several different ways to measure specific heat, but for our formula, we'll use value measured in the units joule/gram °C.
Note that if your equation has multiple products, you'll need to perform the enthalpy calculation for the component reaction used to produce each product, then add them together to find the enthalpy for the entire reaction.
In our example, the final product is water, which has a specific heat of about
4.2 joule/gram °C. , Next, we'll find ∆T, the change in temperature from before the reaction to after the reaction.
Subtract the initial temperature (or T1) of the reaction from the final temperature (or T2) to calculate this value.
As in most chemistry work, Kelvin (K) temperatures should be used here (though Celsius (C) will give the same results).
For our example, let's say that our reaction was 185K at its very start but had cooled to 95K by the time it finished.
In this case, ∆T would be calculated as follows: ∆T = T2 – T1 = 95K – 185K =
-90K , Once you have m, the mass of your reactants, s, the specific heat of your product, and ∆T, the temperature change from your reaction, you are prepared to find the enthalpy of reaction.
Simply plug your values into the formula ∆H = m x s x ∆T and multiply to solve.
Your answer will be in the unit of energy Joules (J).
For our example problem, we would find the enthalpy of reaction as follows: ∆H = (36g) × (4.2 JK-1 g-1) × (-90K ) =
-13,608 J , One of the most common reasons that ∆H is calculated for various reactions is to determine whether the reaction is exothermic (loses energy and gives off heat) or endothermic (gains energy and absorbs heat).
If the sign of your final answer for ∆H is positive, the reaction is endothermic.
On the other hand, if the sign is negative, the reaction is exothermic.
The larger the number itself is, the more exo- or endo- thermic the reaction is.
Beware strongly exothermic reactions — these can sometimes signify a large release of energy, which, if rapid enough, can cause an explosion.
In our example, our final answer is
-13608 J.
Since the sign is negative, we know that our reaction is exothermic.
This makes sense — H2 and O2 are gasses, while H2O, the product, is a liquid.
The hot gasses (in the form of steam) have to release energy into the environment in the form of heat to cool to the point that they can form liquid water, meaning that the formation of H2O is exothermic. -
Step 3: Find the specific heat of your product.
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Step 4: Find the difference in temperature after the reaction.
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Step 5: Use the formula ∆H = m x s x ∆T to solve.
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Step 6: Determine whether your reaction gains or loses energy.
Detailed Guide
Any chemical reaction involves two categories of chemicals — products and reactants.
Products are the chemicals created by the reaction, while reactants are the chemicals that interact, combine, or break down to make the product.
In other words, the reactants of a reaction are like the ingredients in a recipe, while the products are like the finished dish.
To find ∆H for a reaction, first identify its products and reactants.
As an example, let’s say we want to find the enthalpy of reaction for the formation of water from hydrogen and oxygen: 2H2 (Hydrogen) + O2 (Oxygen) → 2H2O (Water).
In this equation, H2 and O2 are the reactants and H2O is the product.
Next, find the masses of your reactants.
If you don't know their masses and aren't able to weigh the reactants in a scientific balance, you can use their molar masses to find their actual masses.
Molar masses are constants that can be found on standard periodic tables (for individual elements) and in other chemistry resources (for molecules and compounds).
Simply multiply the molar mass of each reactant by the number of moles used to find the reactants' masses.
In our water example, our reactants are hydrogen and oxygen gases, which have molar masses of 2g and 32 g, respectively.
Since we used 2 moles of hydrogen (signified by the "2" coefficient in the equation next to H2) and 1 mole of oxygen (signified by no coefficient next to O2), we can calculate the total mass of the reactants as follows: 2 × (2g) + 1 × (32g) = 4g + 32g = 36g , Next, find the specific heat of the product you're analyzing.
Every element or molecule has a specific heat value associated with it: these values are constants and are usually located in chemistry resources (like, for instance, in tables at the back of a chemistry textbook).
There are several different ways to measure specific heat, but for our formula, we'll use value measured in the units joule/gram °C.
Note that if your equation has multiple products, you'll need to perform the enthalpy calculation for the component reaction used to produce each product, then add them together to find the enthalpy for the entire reaction.
In our example, the final product is water, which has a specific heat of about
4.2 joule/gram °C. , Next, we'll find ∆T, the change in temperature from before the reaction to after the reaction.
Subtract the initial temperature (or T1) of the reaction from the final temperature (or T2) to calculate this value.
As in most chemistry work, Kelvin (K) temperatures should be used here (though Celsius (C) will give the same results).
For our example, let's say that our reaction was 185K at its very start but had cooled to 95K by the time it finished.
In this case, ∆T would be calculated as follows: ∆T = T2 – T1 = 95K – 185K =
-90K , Once you have m, the mass of your reactants, s, the specific heat of your product, and ∆T, the temperature change from your reaction, you are prepared to find the enthalpy of reaction.
Simply plug your values into the formula ∆H = m x s x ∆T and multiply to solve.
Your answer will be in the unit of energy Joules (J).
For our example problem, we would find the enthalpy of reaction as follows: ∆H = (36g) × (4.2 JK-1 g-1) × (-90K ) =
-13,608 J , One of the most common reasons that ∆H is calculated for various reactions is to determine whether the reaction is exothermic (loses energy and gives off heat) or endothermic (gains energy and absorbs heat).
If the sign of your final answer for ∆H is positive, the reaction is endothermic.
On the other hand, if the sign is negative, the reaction is exothermic.
The larger the number itself is, the more exo- or endo- thermic the reaction is.
Beware strongly exothermic reactions — these can sometimes signify a large release of energy, which, if rapid enough, can cause an explosion.
In our example, our final answer is
-13608 J.
Since the sign is negative, we know that our reaction is exothermic.
This makes sense — H2 and O2 are gasses, while H2O, the product, is a liquid.
The hot gasses (in the form of steam) have to release energy into the environment in the form of heat to cool to the point that they can form liquid water, meaning that the formation of H2O is exothermic.
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Katherine Webb
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