CHAPTER 7. ENERGYCHANGES IN CHEMICAL REACTIONS 7.3
- Do you think a glass beaker is the best thing to use for this experiment? Explain your
answer. - Suggest another container that could have been used and give reasonsfor your choice.
It might help you to look back to Grade 10 for some ideas!
General experiment: Endothermic and exothermic reactions 2
Apparatus and materials: Vinegar, steel wool, thermometer, glass beakerand plastic lid (from
previous demonstration).
Method:- Put the thermometerthrough the plastic lid, cover the beaker and record the temperature
in the empty beaker. You will need to leave thethermometer in the beaker for about 5
minutes in order to get an accurate reading. - Take the thermometer out of the jar.
- Soak a piece of steel wool in vinegar for about a minute. The vinegar removes the
protective coating fromthe steel wool so that the metal is exposed to oxygen. - After the steel woolhas been in the vinegar, remove it and squeeze out any vinegar
that is still on the wool.Wrap the steel wool around the thermometer and place it (still
wrapped round the thermometer) back into thejar. The jar is automatically sealed when
you do this because thethermometer is throughthe top of the lid. - Leave the steel woolin the beaker for about 5minutes and then recordthe temperature.
Record your observations.
Results: You should notice that the temperature increases when the steel wool iswrapped
around the thermometer.
Conclusion: The reaction between oxygen and the exposed metal in the steel wool, isexother-
mic, which means that energy is released and the temperature increases.7.3 The heat of reaction ESBBQ
The heat of the reaction is represented by the symbol ΔH, where:ΔH = Eprod− Ereact- In an exothermic reaction, ΔH is less than zero because the energy of the reactants is greater
than the energy of the product. For example,
H 2 + Cl 2 → 2 HCl ΔH =− 183 kJ- In an endothermic reaction, ΔH is greater than zero because the energy of the reactants is less
than the energy of the product. For example,