A hot piece of sodium is lowered into a gas jar of chlorine. A violent reaction occurs immediately in which white solid is spattered on the sides of the jar. The jar becomes hot to touch. From these observations, identify the system, the surroundings, and the best evidence that the reaction between sodium and chlorine is exothermic.
Thermochemistry
Thermochemistry can be considered as a branch of thermodynamics that deals with the connections between warmth, work, and various types of energy, formed because of different synthetic and actual cycles. Thermochemistry describes the energy changes that occur as a result of reactions or chemical changes in a substance.
Exergonic Reaction
The term exergonic is derived from the Greek word in which ‘ergon’ means work and exergonic means ‘work outside’. Exergonic reactions releases work energy. Exergonic reactions are different from exothermic reactions, the one that releases only heat energy during the course of the reaction. So, exothermic reaction is one type of exergonic reaction. Exergonic reaction releases work energy in different forms like heat, light or sound. For example, a glow stick releases light making that an exergonic reaction and not an exothermic reaction since no heat is released. Even endothermic reactions at very high temperature are exergonic.
A hot piece of sodium is lowered into a gas jar of chlorine. A violent reaction occurs immediately in which white solid is spattered on the sides of the jar. The jar becomes hot to touch. From these observations, identify the system, the surroundings, and the best evidence that the reaction between sodium and chlorine is exothermic.
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