Mondo Knows Facts
Chemical reactions either release or absorb thermal energy
Exothermic changes release heat while endothermic processes absorb energy from surroundings
Chemical reactions involve breaking existing atomic bonds and forming new ones. When forming new chemical bonds releases more energy than breaking original bonds requires, the net reaction is exothermic and releases heat to its surroundings. Conversely, endothermic reactions absorb heat energy, causing local temperatures to drop.
Where this comes from
Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.
Go further
More facts like this
Catalysts accelerate reactions without being consumedCatalytic agents lower the activation energy barrier needed for chemical transformationSupercritical fluids combine properties of liquids and gasesCompressed above critical thresholds substances effuse like gas while dissolving like liquidGraphene conducts thermal energy faster than diamondStrong carbon covalent bonds transmit acoustic heat phonons with minimal scatteringAbsolute zero is the theoretical lower limit of temperatureAt minus 273 degrees Celsius all classical thermal motion of atoms stops completelyWater exists as solid liquid and gas at its triple pointAt zero point zero one degrees Celsius and specific pressure water coexists in three statesEnergy cannot be created or destroyed only transformedThe total energy in an isolated system remains completely constant over time
Tags: chemistry, thermodynamics, reactions
Chemical reactions either release or absorb thermal energy: the short answers
- Where does this come from, and can I check it?
- Exothermic changes release heat while endothermic processes absorb energy from surroundings. The figure is taken from Encyclopaedia Britannica, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
- Is this really a science fact?
- Yes. It sits on the Science shelf, one of 1,090 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
- What else can I read about it?
- The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.