Thermochemistry Lecture Review

A collection of vocabulary flashcards summarizing key terms and concepts from a thermochemistry lecture.

Thermochemistry

The branch of chemistry concerned with the heat involved in chemical reactions.

First Law of Thermodynamics

States that the total energy of the universe is constant; energy is neither created nor destroyed, but can be transferred.

State Function

A property of a system that is determined by its current state, independent of the path taken to reach that state.

Path Function

A property that depends on the specific transition between states.

Endothermic Process

A process that absorbs heat from the surroundings.

Exothermic Process

A process that releases heat to the surroundings.

Enthalpy (ΔH)

The heat content of a system, used to measure changes in thermal energy during a reaction.

Specific Heat (c)

The amount of heat needed to increase the temperature of 1 gram of a substance by 1 K (or °C).

Standard Enthalpy of Formation (ΔHºf)

The enthalpy change when one mole of a compound is formed from its elements in their standard states.

Heat (q)

The energy transferred due to a temperature difference.

Heat Capacity (C)

The amount of heat required to change the temperature of a given amount of a substance by 1 degree.