Exothermic and Endothermic Reactions

[Bianca Barcelo 4I]

Why does increasing the temperature of an exothermic reaction favor reactions and an endothermic reaction favor the products?

[Cynthia Aragon 1B]

A system that releases heat to the surroundings, an exothermic reaction, has a negative ΔH because the enthalpy of the products is lower than the enthalpy of the reactants of the system.The enthalpies of these reactions are less than zero, and are therefore exothermic reactions.

A system of reactants that absorbs heat from the surroundings in an endothermic reaction and has a positive ΔH, because the enthalpy of the products is higher than the enthalpy of the reactants of the system.

[Tameen Ahmed 4C]

You can use Le Chatelier's principle to understand this concept. If you increase the temperature you are increasing the amount of products, and so you shift the balance at equilibrium back toward reactants, meaning there will be more reactants left at equilibrium. The higher the temperature goes, the further the balance at equilibrium shifts back toward reactants. For an exothermic reaction, heat is a product of the reaction and for an endothermic reaction, head is sort of like the reactant of the reaction.

[Amar Singh]

If the temperature is increased, the reaction wants to balance out the change of the added energy, so the endothermic process will be favored. If the temperature is decreased, the reaction wants to add energy to balance out its environment so the exothermic process is favored.

[Ashley P 4I]

If the temperature is ^ endothermic process will be favored. If the temperature is -, the exothermic process is favored.