Chemistry : Energy Changes
Overview
This topic focusses on the measurement of energy changes in chemical reactions. Students will look into the following ideas; exothermic and endothermic reactions, activation energy and reaction profiles. They will then move onto calculate energy changes of reactions and study how fuel cells and batteries work.
The main SMSC/Personal Development content of this topic includes: PD22 – Use a range of skills in different contexts, PD23 – WIllingness to participate in a variety of contexts and PD24 – develop and demonstrate skills and attitudes that will allow them to participate fully in and contribute positively to life in modern Britain.
The main UN Rights of a Child covered are No.13 – Sharing thoughts freely, No.17 – Access to Information and No.28 – Access to Education.
Example Key Words
Exothermic
A chemical reaction which releases energy to the surroundings.
Endothermic
A chemical reaction which absorbs energy from the surroundings.
Activation Energy
The mimiumum amount of energy required for a reaction to occur.
Reaction Profile
Sketch graph showing the energy changes during a chemical reaction.
Reactant
A substance that takes part in and undergoes change during a reaction.
Product
Products are the substances formed from chemical reactions.