endothermic
Chemistry
(adjective)
A chemical reaction that absorbs heat energy from its surroundings.
(adjective)
of a chemical reaction that absorbs heat energy from its surroundings
(adjective)
A description of a chemical reaction that absorbs heat energy from its surroundings.
Biology
(adjective)
an animal whose body temperature is regulated by internal factors
Examples of endothermic in the following topics:
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Exothermic and Endothermic Processes
- In thermodynamics, these two types of reactions are classified as exothermic or endothermic, respectively.
- As such, the change in enthalpy for an endothermic reaction is always positive.
- In order to melt the ice cube, heat is required, so the process is endothermic.
- In an endothermic reaction, the products are higher in energy than the reactants.
- Paul Andersen explains how heat can be absorbed in endothermic or released in exothermic reactions.
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Thermochemical Equations
- The sign of the $\Delta H$ value indicates whether or not the system is endothermic or exothermic.
- In an endothermic system, the $\Delta H$ value is positive, so the reaction absorbs heat into the system.
- Notice that in an endothermic reaction like the one depicted above, we can think of heat as being a reactant, just like A and B.
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Energy Changes in Chemical Reactions
- Endothermic reactions, on the other hand, absorb heat and/or light from their surroundings.
- For example, decomposition reactions are usually endothermic.
- In endothermic reactions, the products have more enthalpy than the reactants.
- Thus, an endothermic reaction is said to have a positive enthalpy of reaction.
- Significant heat energy is needed for this reaction to proceed, so the reaction is endothermic.
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Heat of Solution
- The breaking of bonds within the solute, such as the electrostatic attraction between two ions (endothermic)
- The breaking of intermolecular attractive forces within the solvent, such as hydrogen bonds (endothermic)
- If more energy is used in breaking bonds than is released upon solute-solvent bond formation, then the overall process is endothermic, and ∆Hsol is positive.
- Dissolution of sodium chloride (table salt) in water is endothermic.
- Dissolution of sodium chloride in water is endothermic.
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Animal Bioenergetics
- If an animal can conserve that heat and maintain a relatively-constant body temperature, it is classified as a warm-blooded animal: an endotherm.
- Even with insulation, endothermal animals require extensive amounts of energy to maintain a constant body temperature.
- Smaller endothermic animals have a greater surface area for their mass than larger ones .
- This results in a smaller endothermic animal having a higher BMR, per body weight, than a larger endothermic animal.
- The diet of an endothermic animal is determined by its BMR.
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Homeostasis: Thermoregulation
- Endotherms create most of their heat via metabolic processes, and are colloquially referred to as "warm-blooded."
- Heat is usually generated from the animal's normal metabolism, but under conditions of excessive cold or low activity, an endotherm generate additional heat by shivering.
- Many endotherms have a larger number of mitochondria per cell than ectotherms.
- However, endothermic animals must sustain their higher metabolism by eating more food more often.
- Sustained energy output of an endothermic animal (mammal) and an ectothermic animal (reptile) as a function of core temperature.
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Heat Conservation and Dissipation
- In certain climates, endothermic animals have some form of insulation, such as fur, fat, feathers, or some combination thereof.
- Endotherms use their circulatory systems to help maintain body temperature.
- In contrast, similar adaptations (as in dolphin flukes and elephant ears) can help cool endotherms when needed.
- In endotherms, the circulatory system is used to help maintain body temperature, either by vasodilation or vasoconstriction.
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Changes in Temperature
- Reactions with positive enthalpies—those that absorb heat from their surroundings—are known as endothermic.
- Endothermic reactions, on the other hand, will be shifted towards product formation as heat is removed from the reaction's surrounding environment.
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Evolution of Reptiles
- It is not known whether dinosaurs were endotherms or ectotherms.
- However, given that modern birds are endothermic, the dinosaurs that served as ancestors to birds were probably endothermic as well.
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Le Chatelier's Principle
- Recall that for an endothermic reaction, heat is absorbed in the reaction, and the value of $\Delta H$ is positive.
- Thus, for an endothermic reaction, we can picture heat as being a reactant:
- Conversely, lowering the temperature on an endothermic reaction will shift the equilibrium to the left, since lowering the temperature in this case is equivalent to removing a reactant.
- Our heat of reaction is positive, so this reaction is endothermic.
- Since this reaction is endothermic, heat is a reactant.