Key Terms

bomb calorimeter

device designed to measure the energy change for processes occurring under conditions of constant volume; commonly used for reactions involving solid and gaseous reactants or products

bond energy

(also, bond dissociation energy) energy required to break a covalent bond in a gaseous substance

Born-Haber cycle

thermochemical cycle relating the various energetic steps involved in the formation of an ionic solid from the relevant elements

calorie (cal)

unit of heat or other energy; the amount of energy required to raise 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius; 1 cal is defined as 4.184 J

calorimeter

device used to measure the amount of heat absorbed or released in a chemical or physical process

calorimetry

process of measuring the amount of heat involved in a chemical or physical process

chemical thermodynamics

area of science that deals with the relationships between heat, work, and all forms of energy associated with chemical and physical processes

endothermic process

chemical reaction or physical change that absorbs heat

energy

capacity to supply heat or do work

enthalpy (H)

sum of a system’s internal energy and the mathematical product of its pressure and volume

enthalpy change (ΔH)

heat released or absorbed by a system under constant pressure during a chemical or physical process

exothermic process

chemical reaction or physical change that releases heat

expansion work (pressure-volume work)

work done as a system expands or contracts against external pressure

first law of thermodynamics

internal energy of a system changes due to heat flow in or out of the system or work done on or by the system

heat (q)

transfer of thermal energy between two bodies

heat capacity (C)

extensive property of a body of matter that represents the quantity of heat required to increase its temperature by 1 degree Celsius (or 1 kelvin)

Hess’s law

if a process can be represented as the sum of several steps, the enthalpy change of the process equals the sum of the enthalpy changes of the steps

hydrocarbon

compound composed only of hydrogen and carbon; the major component of fossil fuels

internal energy (U)

total of all possible kinds of energy present in a substance or substances

joule (J)

SI unit of energy; 1 joule is the kinetic energy of an object with a mass of 2 kilograms moving with a velocity of 1 meter per second, 1 J = 1 kg m²/s and 4.184 J = 1 cal

kinetic energy

energy of a moving body, in joules, equal to $\frac{1}{2}m{v}^2$ (where m = mass and v = velocity)

lattice energy (ΔH_lattice)

energy required to separate one mole of an ionic solid into its component gaseous ions

nutritional calorie (Calorie)

unit used for quantifying energy provided by digestion of foods, defined as 1000 cal or 1 kcal

potential energy

energy of a particle or system of particles derived from relative position, composition, or condition

specific heat capacity (c)

intensive property of a substance that represents the quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of the substance by 1 degree Celsius (or 1 kelvin)

standard enthalpy of combustion $\text{(}\text{Δ}{H}_{\text{c}}^{°}\text{)}$

heat released when one mole of a compound undergoes complete combustion under standard conditions

standard enthalpy of formation $\text{(}\text{Δ}{H}_{\text{f}}^{°}\text{)}$

enthalpy change of a chemical reaction in which 1 mole of a pure substance is formed from its elements in their most stable states under standard state conditions

standard state

set of physical conditions as accepted as common reference conditions for reporting thermodynamic properties; 1 bar of pressure, and solutions at 1 molar concentrations, usually at a temperature of 298.15 K

state function

property depending only on the state of a system, and not the path taken to reach that state

surroundings

all matter other than the system being studied

system

portion of matter undergoing a chemical or physical change being studied

temperature

intensive property of matter that is a quantitative measure of “hotness” and “coldness”

thermal energy

kinetic energy associated with the random motion of atoms and molecules

thermochemistry

study of measuring the amount of heat absorbed or released during a chemical reaction or a physical change

work (w)

energy transfer due to changes in external, macroscopic variables such as pressure and volume; or causing matter to move against an opposing force