How can you tell if a reaction is endothermic or exothermic? Describe a way of determining if a reaction is exothermic or endothermic using simple laboratory equipment.

Exothermic and Endothermic reactions refer to if the change in Enthalpy of a reaction is negative or positive respectively.
If a reaction is exothermic that means that enthalpy change is negative and heat is released due to the fact that there is less energy(enthalpy) contained within the products than the reactants. Conversely, if a reaction is endothermic, the enthalpy change is positive and heat is absorbed because the products now have more energy(enthalpy) than the reactants.

A thermometer could be used to track if a reaction produced heat (exothermic) or absorbed heat (endothermic). A specialised piece of equipment called a calorimeter is used to accurately calculate enthalpy changes in a reaction using a similar method.

TF
Answered by Tom F. Chemistry tutor

18917 Views

See similar Chemistry A Level tutors

Related Chemistry A Level answers

All answers ▸

give a possible reaction mechanism for the conversion of a haloalkane to alcohol


An acid can be either strong or weak, explain the difference between strong and weak acids.


What is an isomer?


Part 1: Calculate the empirical formula for a substance with the following composition: H 6.71%; C 40.00%; O 53.29%


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2025 by IXL Learning