Unit 5.

Thermochemistry
Upon successful completion of this unit, the students should be able to:

5.1 Solve problems related to work (in terms of pressure and volume) and the first law of
thermodynamics.

1. State the first law of thermodynamics.

2. A gas expands from 10 L to 20 L against a constant pressure of 5 atm. During this time it absorbs 2 kJ
of heat. Calculate the work done in kJ.

5.2 Define exothermic and endothermic reaction and solve related problems.

1. Define exothermic reaction.

2. Identify the following as exothermic or endothermic.

a. boiling water on your stovetop

b. dry ice subliming
c. combustion of gasoline
d. steam condensing on your shower curtain

3. The sign of ∆H for the process H2O(g) Æ H2O(l) is:

a. positive and the process is endothermic.

b. negative and the process is endothermic.
c. positive and the process is exothermic.
d. negative and the process is exothermic.
e. impossible to predict with confidence because ∆Hof for H2O(g) and ∆Hof for H2O(l) are not
given.

5.3 Solve problems related to enthalpy.

1. The combustion of one mole of benzene, C6H6(l), in oxygen liberates 3.268 x 103 kJ of heat. The
products of the reaction are carbon dioxide and water.

a. Write a thermochemical equation for the combustion of benzene.

b. Calculate ∆H when 10.00 g of benzene is burned.

2. H2 and F2 react according to the following equation, forming HF.

H2 + F2 Æ 2HF ∆Ho = -271 kJ/mol

If H2(g) and F2(g) were mixed in a thermally insulated vessel, the reaction that occurred would be:

a. exothermic, and the temperature of the reaction system would rise.

b. endothermic, and the temperature of the reaction system would rise.
c. endothermic, and the temperature of the reaction system would fall.
d. exothermic, and the temperature of the reaction system would fall.
3. Which statement concerning the following is correct?

2NO2(g) + 114 kJ Æ 2NO(g) + O2(g)

a. The reaction is exothermic.

b. The products have an enthalpy loss.
c. The sign of ∆H for the reaction is negative.
d. The products have less enthalpy than the reactants.
e. The enthalpy of the products exceeds that of the reactants.

4. What is the enthalpy change for the production of 1.00 mol SnO?

Sn + SnO2 + 92 kJ Æ 2SnO

a. -184 kJ
b. -92 kJ
c. -46 kJ
d. 46 kJ
e. 92 kJ

5. Nitrogen gas reacts with oxygen gas to form dinitrogen monoxide gas.

2N2 (g) + O2 (g) Æ 2N2O (g) ∆H = +163.2 kJ

Calculate the enthalpy change (∆H) in kJ when 10.0 grams of dinitrogen monoxide gas is produced?

5.4 Define the terms specific heat capacity (specific heat), heat capacity, and molar
heat capacity and solve related problems.

1. Consider the following specific heats of metals.

Metal Specific Heat (J/(g oC)

copper 0.385
cobalt 0.418
chromium 0.447
gold 0.129
silver 0.237

If the same amount of heat is added to 100 g samples of each of the metals, which are all at the same
temperature, which metal will reach the lowest temperature?

2. Which of the following is dependent upon how much of the substance there is (can be more than one
answer): specific heat, heat capacity, molar heat capacity?

3. Define specific heat.

4. The amount is heat needed to raise the temperature of 55.85 g of iron 1 oC is called its:

a. enthalpy
b. specific heat
c. specific heat capacity
d. molar heat capacity
e. change in energy
5.5 Solve problems related to calorimetry and describe what a bomb calorimeter is.

1. A 150.0 g sample of metal at 80.0 oC is added to 150.0 g of H2O at 20.0 oC. The temperature rises to
23.3 oC. Assuming that the calorimeter is a perfect insulator, what is the specific heat of the metal?
[Specific heat of H2O is 4.18 J/(g oC)]

2. The specific heat of aluminum is 0.89 J/g oC. How much energy is required to raise the temperature of
a 15.0 g aluminum can 18 oC?

3. Describe the setup of a bomb calorimeter.

4. If 596 J of heat are added to 29.6 g of water at 22.9 oC in a coffee cup calorimeter, what will be the
final temperature of the water?

5. A sample of C6H5COOH (benzoic acid) weighing 1.221 g was placed in a bomb calorimeter and
ignited in pure O2 atmosphere. A temperature rise from 25.24 oC to 31.67 oC was noted. The heat
capacity of the calorimeter was 5.02 kJ/oC and the combustion products were CO2 and H2O. Calculate
the ∆H in kJ/mol for the reaction.

5.6 Use Hess’s Law to calculate enthalpy changes for a variety of reactions.

1. Given the following data:

N2(g) + 3/2O2(g) Æ N2O3(s) ∆H = 83.7 kJ

N2(g) + O2(g) Æ 2NO(g) ∆H = 180.4 kJ
1/2N2(g) + O2(g) Æ NO2(g) ∆H = 33.2 kJ

What is the ∆H for the reaction:

N2O3(g) Æ NO(g) + NO2(g)

2. Given the following data:

H2(g) + 1/2O2(g) Æ H2O(l) ∆H = -285 kJ

CaO(s) + H2O(l) Æ Ca(OH)2(s) ∆H = -64 kJ
Ca(s) + 1/2O2(g) Æ CaO(s) ∆H = -635 kJ

Calculate ∆H for the following reaction:

Ca(s) + 2H2O(l) Æ Ca(OH)2(s) + H2(g)

5.7 Apply their knowledge of standard states and standard enthalpies of formation to
calculate ∆H for a variety of reactions and solve related problems.

1. Write the standard heat of formation equation for solid lead (II) nitrate.

2. All of the following have a standard enthalpy of formation value of zero at 25 oC and 1.00 atm except:

a. CO(g).
b. Fe(s).
c. C(graphite).
d. F2(g).
e. Ne(g).
3. Calculate the standard heat of formation of acetaldehyde, CH3CHO(g), given the following
information:

CH3CHO(g) + 5/2O2(g) Æ 2H2O(l) + 2CO2(g) ∆H = -1194 kJ

∆Hof H2O(l) = -286 kJ/mol

∆Hof CO2(g) = -394 kJ/mol

4. If the enthalpy change for the thermochemical equation

2HF(g) Æ H2(g) + F2(g)

is 542 kJ, what is the enthalpy of formation of HF(g) in kilojoules per mole.

a. -542.2
b. -271.2
c. -135.6
d. 135.6
e. 271.2

5. Solid calcium phosphate reacts with liquid sulfuric acid to form solid calcium sulfate and liquid
phosphoric acid. The UNbalanced chemical equation for this chemical reaction is given below:

Ca3(PO4)2 (s) + H2SO4 (l) Æ CaSO4 (s) + H3PO4 (l)

Use the values for ∆Hfº given below to calculate the ∆Hº (in kJ/mol) for the above reaction.

∆Hfº for Ca3(PO4)2 (s) = -4126 kJ/mol ∆Hfº for CaSO4 (s) = -1433 kJ/mol
∆Hfº for H2SO4 (aq) = -909 kJ/mol ∆Hfº for H3PO4 (aq) = -1288 kJ/mol
∆Hfº for H2SO4 (l) = -814 kJ/mol ∆Hfº for H3PO4 (l) = -1267 kJ/mol

Additional Unit 5 Sample Questions:

1. In a coffee cup calorimeter, 150.0 ml of 0.500 M hydrochloric acid is mixed with 300.0 ml of 0.250 M
potassium hydroxide. The following chemical reaction occurs:

HCl (aq) + KOH (aq) Æ KCl (aq) + H2O (l)

The two solutions are, initially, at 25.0 ºC. When the two solutions are mixed together, the
temperature of the combined solution increases to 63.0 ºC. Assuming that the combined solution has a
density of 1.00 g/ml and a specific heat of 4.184 J/g ºC, what would the enthalpy change (∆H) in
kJ/mol of KCl formed be for the above reaction?

2. Military rations are given to soldiers in the form of MRE’s (Meals Ready to Eat). These meals include
a Flameless Ration Heater (FRH), which uses the following reaction to produce heat:

Mg(s) + 2H2O(l) Æ Mg(OH)2(s) + H2(g)

a. Calculate the standard enthalpy change (∆Hrxno) for the reaction.

b. How many grams of magnesium would be required to produce 6.3 x 103 J?
c. What final temperature would you observe if 6.3 x 103 J of heat was absorbed by 25 mL of water
at 25 oC?
3. Tell if the following would be endothermic or exothermic.

a. A chemical reaction that has a ∆Hº of -90.6 kJ/mol.

b. A chemical reaction that has a ∆Hº of +187.3 kJ/mol.
c. A system that absorbs heat from the surroundings.