Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email
Answers.com

endothermic

 
American Heritage Dictionary:

en·do·ther·mic

(ĕn'dō-thûr'mĭk) pronunciation also en·do·ther·mal (-məl)
adj.
  1. Chemistry. Characterized by or causing the absorption of heat; endoergic.
  2. Biology. Of or relating to an organism that generates heat to maintain its body temperature, typically above the temperature of its surroundings; warm-blooded.
endothermy en'do·ther'my n.

Search unanswered questions...
Enter a question here...
Search: All sources Community Q&A Reference topics

Denoting a chemical reaction that takes heat from its surroundings. Compare exothermic.



Said of a reaction which occurs with the absorption of heat.



A chemical reaction that absorbs heat from its surroundings and appears cool. See Exothermic.


describing a process or reaction that absorbs heat, i.e. a process or reaction for which the change in enthalpy, ΔH, is positive at constant pressure and temperature. Compare exothermic.

Previous:endothelium-derived relaxing factor, endothelium, endothelin receptor
Next:endothiapepsin, endotoxin, endo−
Random House Word Menu:

categories related to 'endothermic'

Top
Random House Word Menu by Stephen Glazier
For a list of words related to endothermic, see:

Wikipedia on Answers.com:

Endothermic

Top

In thermodynamics, the word endothermic ("within-heating") describes a process or reaction in which the system absorbs energy from the surroundings in the form of heat. Its etymology stems from the prefix endo- (derived from the Greek word ένδον, endon, "within") and the Greek word thermasi, (meaning “to heat”). The opposite of an endothermic process is an exothermic process, one that releases energy in the form of heat. The term endothermic was coined by Marcellin Berthelot (25 October 1827 – 18 March 1907).

The concept is frequently applied in physical sciences to, for example, chemical reactions, where thermal energy (heat) is converted to chemical bond energy.

Contents

Implications for chemical reactions

Chemical endothermic reactions need heat to be performed. In a thermochemical reaction that is endothermic, the heat is placed on the reactants side (heat is necessary for and absorbed during the reaction).

Contrast between thermodynamic and biological terminology

Note that because of historical accident, students encounter a source of possible confusion between the terminology of physics and biology. Whereas the thermodynamic terms "exothermic" and "endothermic" respectively refer to processes that give out heat energy and processes that absorb heat energy, in biology the sense is effectively inverted. The metabolic terms "ectothermic" and "endothermic" respectively refer to organisms that rely largely on external heat to achieve a full working temperature, and to organisms that produce heat from within as a major factor in controlling their bodily temperature.

See also

References

External links


 
 

 

Copyrights:

American Heritage Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Oxford Dictionary of Chemistry. A Dictionary of Chemistry. Sixth Edition. Copyright © Market House Books Ltd, 2008. All rights reserved.  Read more
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture & Construction. McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. Copyright © 2003 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wiley Dictionary of Flavors. Copyright © 2008 by Wiley-Blackwell. Wiley and the Wiley logo are registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and other countries. Used here by license.  Read more
 Oxford Dictionary of Biochemistry. Oxford University Press. Oxford Dictionary of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology © 1997, 2000, 2006 All rights reserved.  Read more
Random House Word Menu. © 2010 Write Brothers Inc. Word Menu is a registered trademark of the Estate of Stephen Glazier. Write Brothers Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia on Answers.com. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Endothermic Read more

Follow us
Facebook Twitter
YouTube

Mentioned in

» More» More