Chem 201B

Dr. Baxley

Conceptual Thermodynamics Questions

from http://www.jce.divched.org/jcedlib/qbank/collection/conceptests/
For each question, write your answer and a brief explanation before looking at the answers (if
you look at the answers before writing your answer and explanation, you wont get as much out
of this worksheet)
1. Consider the bonds that must be made or broken for the reaction
O2N-NO2 (g) 2 NO2 (g)
Will the reaction be endothermic or exothermic?
2. a. The reaction, N2(g) + 3H2(g) 2 NH3(g) is exothermic. Which are collectively stronger
bonds, those in the reactants or those in the products?
b. What effect will spraying water into the system have if NH3 is far more soluble in water
than N2 and H2? It will
i. increase the products
ii. increase the reactants
iii. have to effect
3. Consider the polymerization of ethylene in which many C=C double bonds worth
~600 kJ/mol each are converted to twice as many C-C single bonds in polyethylene worth
~350 kJ/mol each.
n H2C=CH2 (g) [CH2-CH2]n (s)
The formula in brackets is repeated n times, so it looks kind of like this:
CH2CH2CH2CH2CH2CH2CH2CH2CH2CH2CH2CH2CH2CH2CH2
a. What is the sign of H for this reaction?
b. Is the reaction exothermic, endothermic, or thermoneutral?
c. What happens to the entropy in this reaction? Does it increase, decrease, or remain the
same?
d. What is the sign of S for this reaction?
e. Is the reaction driven by H or S?

Chem 201B

Dr. Baxley

4. Which of the following processes will have a change in entropy less than 0?
a. CaCO3(s) CaO(s) + CO2(g)
b. N2(g) + 3 H2(g) 2 NH3(g)
c. H2O(s) H2O(l)
5. The following graph of the change in free energy versus temperature (T) corresponds to
which of the following situations?

a.
b.
c.
d.

H > 0 S < 0
H > 0 S > 0
H < 0 S < 0
H < 0 S > 0

6. For the reaction in which solid carbon dioxide (dry ice) sublimes to become gaseous carbon
dioxide, CO2(s) CO2(g), which of the following is true for the reaction as written?
a.
b.
c.
d.

The reaction is endothermic and the entropy decreases

The reaction is endothermic and the entropy increases
The reaction is exothermic and the entropy decreases
The reaction is exothermic and the entropy increases

7. Many processes have a likelihood of occurring that is proportional to exp(E/RT). In this

relationship, E is the energy required for the process, R is the gas constant, and T is the
absolute temperature. According to this expression, the process is most probable for the
combination of:
a. Large E and low temperature
b. Large E and high temperature
c. Small E and low temperature
d. Small E and high temperature

Chem 201B

Dr. Baxley

Answers
1. Endothermic. Bonds are broken, but no bonds are formed. energy is required to break
bonds, so the reaction will absorb energy in the form of heat from the surroundings and
transfer that energy into higher potential energy.
2. a. The bond in the products are stronger. If the reaction is exothermic, that means that it
is releasing more heat when forming bonds than it is absorbing when breaking bonds.
Therefore, the bonds formed must be stronger than the bonds broken.
b. It will increase the products because dissolving the products in water will lower the
concentration (or partial pressure) of NH3(g) and the reaction will shift to the right.
3. a. During the reaction n(C=C) bonds are broken resulting in a H = +n(~600 kJ) (H is
positive when bonds are broken) and 2n(CC) bonds are formed resulting in
H = 2n(~350 kJ) (H is negative when bonds are formed), so overall there is a greater
negative number than positive, so overall H is negative.
b. Since H is negative, the reaction is exothermic.
c. Since many gaseous molecules become one solid molecule, entropy decreases.
d. Since entropy decreases, S must be negative.
e. H is negative and S is negative, so at the temperature at which this reaction occurs (it
only occurs at a high temperature and pressure) the reaction is driven by H.
4. The answer is answer b because it is the only reaction with a decrease in entropy because
there are more gaseous reactants than gaseous products. The other two involve an increase in
entropy, either due to the production of a gas from solid (answer a) or the conversion of a
solid to a liquid (answer c).
5. This is a graph of G = H TS, which can be rearranged to be G = ST + H, which
is in the same form as y = mx + b, with G on the y-axis and T on the x-axis, so m = S and
b = H. Since the slope on the graph is positive and m = S, S must be negative. The yintercept on the graph is negative and b = H, so H must be negative. The correct answer is
answer c.
6. Turning a solid to a gas requires heat energy, so the reaction is endothermic. A solid turning
to a gas results in an increase in entropy, so entropy increases. The answer is b.
7. The probability of the reaction occurring is a negative exponent. Therefore the larger the
magnitude of the exponent, the less likely the reaction will occur. A small E and a large T
will both make the magnitude of the exponent larger, so the answer is d.