TransWikia.com

Why does heat of reaction equal the change in enthalpy for chemical reactions?

Physics Asked on February 27, 2021

Chemists say something like "amount of heat consumed for a chemical reaction equals the change in enthalpy" but I cannot understand why this is the case.

Here is my argument:
Since $H = U +PV$, we have $dH = T dS + V dP + sum_i mu_i dN_i$. If we assume that the heat flow is quasistatic so that we can use $dQ=TdS$, and assuming that $P$ is constant during the reaction so that $dP=0$, we have $dH = dQ + sum_i mu_i dN_i$.

Apparently we have an additional term $sum_i mu_i dN_i$, so that $dH neq dQ$.

Where am I wrong?

One Answer

For a closed system (no mass transfer into or out of system) at constant pressure, $$Delta U=Q-PDelta V$$This equation applies irrespective of whether a chemical reaction is occurring within the system. So, $$Delta H=Delta U+PDelta V=Q$$The heat of reaction is also defined such that T does not change between the initial and final states of the system.

Also, how can it be quasi static if there is a chemical reaction occurring, presumably at finite rate?

Correct answer by Chet Miller on February 27, 2021

Add your own answers!

Ask a Question

Get help from others!

© 2024 TransWikia.com. All rights reserved. Sites we Love: PCI Database, UKBizDB, Menu Kuliner, Sharing RPP