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By Making New Stronger BondsIn exothermic reactions energy is liberated by making the internal molecular bonds of the reactants. It takes energy to break bonds. You get out energy by making new ones.

The difference really lies in the stability of bonding, but it still doesn't answer how the energy is released, in what form. My Chem teacher mentioned a long time ago hinting while discussing E=mc2 that the energy released from chemical exothermic reactions is the conversion of mass to energy, and that in order to attain endothermic reactions one has to effectively 'add mass' to complete it in the form of energy.

Even this doesn't answer the question though, because saying energy just gets released into an extremely disordered state of energy such as heat doesn't work for me. Since heat is really just a descriptive word for describing the event of an increases and decrease in temperature which in turn is really just a distribution of particle velocities in a given space.

Suppose a unstable high energy tri-bond is broken and the chemical A1 reacts which A2 to make products B1.

Energy is first attained (Activation energy), pushed over an intermediate point where all chemical potential energy can be considered free-energy, where particles are completely indecisive about what they want to be. Then a chain reaction occurs whereby most of the free-energy is absorbed in the form of a more stable bond leaving behind residual energy. What this "free energy" manifests itself as is a mystery to me, but in consideration that pretty much every 'small' event is quantised it wouldn't surprise me if there was a massive amount of physics going on to transfer chemical energy potential differences into raw energy.

You have to understand there are also like a hierarchy of energy disorder. From most ordered being electrical, and magnetic, then to light, then heat, something like that, but there are complex process' of decay into the lower states and different chemical/physical theories which account for each drop.

There is a lot of reading and physical mechanism to wrap your head around to really answer the question.

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How do endothermic and exothermic differ?

Exothermic reactions release energy (usually as heat) into the surrounding environment - endothermic reactions absorb energy from the surrounding environment. Note that exothermic reactions are capable of turning into runaway reactions as the heat of reaction often speeds up the rate of reaction (releasing more heat, etc). Endothermic reactions are, usually, self moderating as a limited amount of energy is capable of being drawn from the surrounding environment.


Is lattice energy typically endothermic or exothermic?

Lattice energy is typically exothermic, meaning it releases energy when ions come together to form a solid lattice structure.


What the distinguish between exothermic and endothermic?

Endothermic reactions are reactions that create bonds between atoms, which means they require energy, so they take heat energy from its surroundings to create the bonds (meaning the reaction produces "cold"), and exothermic reactions are ones which break bonds between atoms, giving off energy and thus heat.


Where does energy come from an endothermic reaction?

Energy in an endothermic reaction comes from the surroundings, as the reaction absorbs heat or energy from its surroundings to proceed. This absorption of energy allows the reactants to overcome the activation energy barrier, enabling the reaction to occur.


Is an ionic compound exothermic?

The formation of an ionic compound is usually exothermic because energy is released when the positive and negative ions come together to form a stable compound with strong electrostatic forces of attraction.

Related Questions

How do endothermic and exothermic differ?

Exothermic reactions release energy (usually as heat) into the surrounding environment - endothermic reactions absorb energy from the surrounding environment. Note that exothermic reactions are capable of turning into runaway reactions as the heat of reaction often speeds up the rate of reaction (releasing more heat, etc). Endothermic reactions are, usually, self moderating as a limited amount of energy is capable of being drawn from the surrounding environment.


Is lattice energy typically endothermic or exothermic?

Lattice energy is typically exothermic, meaning it releases energy when ions come together to form a solid lattice structure.


What the distinguish between exothermic and endothermic?

Endothermic reactions are reactions that create bonds between atoms, which means they require energy, so they take heat energy from its surroundings to create the bonds (meaning the reaction produces "cold"), and exothermic reactions are ones which break bonds between atoms, giving off energy and thus heat.


What is the reaction involved in dissolving sodium carbonate in water an endothermic reaction or exothermic reaction?

Dissolving Sodium Carbonate is an exothermic reaction. Exothermic reactions give out heat. When atoms, molecules or ions come together energy is released. The water molecules bond with the sodium carbonate molecules and more energy is released during this reaction than required to create the bonds. More energy means the molecules of the solution move faster and the temperature of the solution increases, thus increasing the temperature of the surroundings. Hope that helps :)


Where does energy come from an endothermic reaction?

Energy in an endothermic reaction comes from the surroundings, as the reaction absorbs heat or energy from its surroundings to proceed. This absorption of energy allows the reactants to overcome the activation energy barrier, enabling the reaction to occur.


Is an ionic compound exothermic?

The formation of an ionic compound is usually exothermic because energy is released when the positive and negative ions come together to form a stable compound with strong electrostatic forces of attraction.


The precipitation of potassium chloride is nonspontaneous and exothermic at room temperature what must be true regarding this process?

For the precipitation of potassium chloride to occur at room temperature, energy must be supplied to the system to overcome the nonspontaneous nature of the process. This energy input can come in the form of heat to compensate for the exothermic nature of the reaction. Additionally, the reaction may be driven forward by manipulating the concentration of reactants or by using a catalyst.


What is the relationship between energy and chemical reaction?

Energy plays a crucial role in chemical reactions, as it is required to break bonds in reactants and form new bonds in products. This energy can come in the form of heat, light, or electricity, and the overall change in energy during a reaction determines whether it is exothermic (releasing energy) or endothermic (absorbing energy). Additionally, the activation energy barrier must be overcome for a reaction to proceed, highlighting the interplay between energy and the reaction dynamics.


Where does the energy come from that is needed for an endothermic reaction the products or the reactants?

The energy needed for an endothermic reaction comes from the surroundings, not from the reactants or products. This energy is absorbed during the reaction to break bonds and allow new bonds to form, resulting in the overall absorption of heat.


Is condensation exothermic of endothermic?

Condensation is generally exothermic in that the material doing the condensing will be giving up thermal energy to do so. And giving up heat energy is the exit of thermal energy, hence the name exothermic. The atoms or molecules of this consate give up some of their kinetic energy, their energy of atomic or molecular motion, that thermal energy, to condense.


What is a non-spontaneous reaction that absorbs free energy from its surroundings?

A non-spontaneous reaction that absorbs free energy from its surroundings is an endergonic reaction. In an endergonic reaction, the products have more free energy than the reactants, requiring an input of energy to proceed. This energy input can come from the surrounding environment.


Why you need a body temperature?

The human body relies on chemical reactions to turn the food you consume into energy. The food you consume also goes into the production of cells inside your body. These processed require chemical reactions. There are two chemical reactions, endothermic and exothermic. Endothermic reactions require energy. Your "body temperature" fuels these reaction as heat is a form of energy. Exothermic reactions give off energy. Your body temperature is created from this type of reaction. As your core temperature lowers, as in hypothermia, the chemical processes in your body slow down, due to the lack of energy. Eventually it reaches a point to where the processed come to a stop. At that point, your brain is no longer able to send electrical impulses to your heart.