ENTHALPY DEFINITION IN CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS - Enthalpy is the sum of the internal energy added to the product of the pressure and volume of the system. It reflects the capacity to do non-mechanical work and the capacity to release heat. Change in enthalpy is calculated rather than enthalpy, in part because total enthalpy of a system cannot be measured. However, it is possible to measure the difference in enthalpy between one state and another. Enthalpy change may be calculated under conditions of constant pressure.

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Enthalpy

Definition in Chemistry and Physics

by Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D. 

Enthalpy is a thermodynamic property of a system.

It is the sum of the internal energy added to the product of the pressure and volume of the system.

It reflects the capacity to do non-mechanical work and the capacity to release heat.

Enthalpy is denoted as H; specific enthalpy denoted as h. Common units used to express enthalpy are the joule, calorie, or BTU (British Thermal Unit.)

Enthalpy in a throttling process is constant.

Change in enthalpy is calculated rather than enthalpy, in part because total enthalpy of a system cannot be measured.

However, it is possible to measure the difference in enthalpy between one state and another. Enthalpy change may be calculated under conditions of constant pressure.

Enthalpy Formulas

H = E + PV

where H is enthalpy, E is internal energy of the system, P is pressure, and V is volume

d H = T d S + P d V

What Is the Importance of Enthalpy?

·          Measuring the change in enthalpy allows us to determine whether a reaction was endothermic (absorbed heat, positive change in enthalpy) or exothermic (released heat, negative change in enthalpy.)

·         It is used to calculate the heat of reaction of a chemical process.

·          Change in enthalpy is used to measure heat flow in calorimetry.

·          It is measured to evaluate a throttling process or Joule-Thomson expansion.

·          Enthalpy is used to calculate minimum power for a compressor.

·         Enthalpy change occurs during a change in the state of matter.

·          There are many other applications of enthalpy in thermal engineering.

Example Change in Enthalpy Calculation

You can use the heat of fusion of ice and heat of vaporization of water to calculate the enthalpy change when ice melts into a liquid and the liquid turns to a vapor.

The heat of fusion of ice is 333 J/g (meaning 333 J is absorbed when 1 gram of ice melts.) The heat of vaporization of liquid water at 100°C is 2257 J/g.

Part A: Calculate the change in enthalpy, ΔH, for these two processes.

H₂O(s) → H₂O(l); ΔH = ?
H₂O(l) → H₂O(g); ΔH = ?

Part B: Using the values you calculated, find the number of grams of ice you can melt using 0.800 kJ of heat.

Solution

A. The heats of fusion and vaporization are in joules, so the first thing to do is convert to kilojoules. Using the periodic table, we know that 1 mole of water (H₂O) is 18.02 g. Therefore:
fusion ΔH = 18.02 g x 333 J / 1 g
fusion ΔH = 6.00 x 10³ J
fusion ΔH = 6.00 kJ
vaporization ΔH = 18.02 g x 2257 J / 1 g
vaporization ΔH = 4.07 x 10⁴ J
vaporization ΔH = 40.7 kJ

So the completed thermochemical reactions are:

H₂O(s) → H₂O(l); ΔH = +6.00 kJ
H₂O(l) → H₂O(g); ΔH = +40.7 kJ

B. Now we know that:

1 mol H₂O(s) = 18.02 g H₂O(s) ~ 6.00 kJ
Using this conversion factor:
0.800 kJ x 18.02 g ice / 6.00 kJ = 2.40 g ice melted

Answer

A. H₂O(s) → H₂O(l); ΔH = +6.00 kJ

H₂O(l) → H₂O(g); ΔH = +40.7 kJ

B. 2.40 g ice melted

Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.

Introduction

Ph.D. in biomedical sciences from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville - Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Science educator with experience teaching chemistry, biology, astronomy, and physics at the high school, college, and graduate levels.

ThoughtCo and About Education chemistry expert since 2001.

Widely-published graphic artist, responsible for printable periodic tables and other illustrations used in science.

Experience

Anne Helmenstine, Ph.D. has covered chemistry for ThoughtCo and About Education since 2001, and other sciences since 2013. She taught chemistry, biology, astronomy, and physics at the high school, college, and graduate levels. She has worked as a research scientist and also abstracting and indexing diverse scientific literature for the Department of Energy.

In addition to her work as a science writer, Dr. Helmenstine currently serves as a scientific consultant, specializing in problems requiring an interdisciplinary approach. Previously, she worked as a research scientist and college professor. 

Education

Dr. Helmenstine holds a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and a B.A. in physics and mathematics with a minor in chemistry from Hastings College. In her doctoral work, Dr. Helmenstine developed ultra-sensitive chemical detection and medical diagnostic tests.

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