Topic 5.

1
THERMODYNAMICS
Born-Haber Cycles
Solubility of Ionic Compounds in Water
Entropy Changes

CALCULATING ENTHALPY CHANGES

a)

atomisation enthalpy and bond dissociation enthalpy

The enthalpy change for a chemical reaction can be deduced from consideration of the
energy required to break bonds in the reactants and the energy released when the bonds in
the products are formed.
By considering the relationship H = Ea(forward) - Ea(reverse)
The enthalpy change for a chemical reaction can be calculated from the following
equation:
H = Energy required to break bonds in reactants - Energy required to break bonds in
products.
Or H = Hb(bonds broken) - Hb(bonds formed)
The energy required to separate all the bonds in an element or a compound is known as
the atomisation enthalpy. It is defined slightly differently for elements and compounds.
The atomisation enthalpy of an element is the energy required to produce one mole of
free gaseous atoms of that element.
Eg Na(s) Na(g) or 1/2Cl2(g) Cl(g)
The atomisation enthalpy of a compound is the energy required to convert one mole of
a compound into its free gaseous atoms.
Eg CH4(g) C(g) + 4H(g)
In gas phase reactions, the bonds which are broken and formed are covalent bonds. The
energy required to separate completely the atoms in one mole of covalent bonds is known
as the bond dissociation enthalpy of that bond (Hb).
A-B(g) A(g) + B(g)
Bond
C-H
O-H
C-C
C=C
C=O
H-F
H-Cl
Cl-Cl
Br-Br
O=O

H /kJmol-1
+413
+464
+347
+612
+805
+568
+432
+243
+193
+498

These bond enthalpies are mean values; the exact strength of a bond depends on its
environment. Thus bond enthalpies calculated from different reactions may vary slightly.
b)

Calculating approximate energy changes

The approximate H of any reaction can be calculated, given bond dissociation

enthalpies and atomisation enthalpies:
Eg Calculate the approximate energy change for the reaction:
CH4(g) + 2O2(g) CO2(g) + 2H2O(g)
Bonds broken: 4 x C-H, 2 x 0=0
Energy required = 4(413) + 2(498) = 2648 kJmol-1
Bonds formed: 2 x C=O, 4 x O-H
Energy released = 2(803), 4(464) = 3462 kJmol-1
Energy change = 2648 3462 = -815 kJmol-1
N.B Because the values used are mean bond energies, these calculations are only
approximate. The value of the bond strengths in the substances involved in the
reaction will be different from the mean values.
Calculations based on Hess Law do not rely on such approximations and so are more
reliable

FORMATION OF IONIC COMPOUNDS

The enthalpy changes during reactions involving covalent compounds can be explained
in terms of simple bond breaking and bond making:
H = (bonds broken) - (bonds formed)
Reactions involving ionic compounds, however, involve a more complex sequence of
processes and must be treated by a different method. Reactions involving the formation
of ionic compounds from their elements can be broken down into three stages:
- formation of free gaseous atoms from the elements in their standard states.
- addition or removal of electrons to form ions.
- attraction of the ions to form the ionic compound.
Consider the reaction Na(s) + 1/2Cl2(g) NaCl(s)
a) Formation of free gaseous atoms from the elements in their standard states.
The enthalpy changes required to form free gaseous atoms can be obtained from the
atomisation enthalpies or the bond dissociation enthalpies.
b) Formation of the ions from free gaseous atoms
The first ionisation energy of an atom is the energy required to remove one electron
from each of a mole of free gaseous atoms of that element.
Eg Na(g) Na+(g) + e
The first electron affinity of an atom is the energy change when one electron is added to
each of a mole of free gaseous atoms of that element.
Eg Cl(g) + e Cl-(g)
In cases where the ions have a charge of +2 or -2, other electrons must be transferred:
The second ionisation energy of an element is the energy required to remove one electron
from each of a mole of free gaseous unipositive ions of that element:
Eg Mg+(g) Mg2+(g) + e
The second electron affinity of an atom is the energy change when one electron is added
to each of a mole of free gaseous uninegative ions of that element.
Eg O-(g) + e O2-(g)
c) Attraction of the ions to form an ionic compound

The lattice enthalpy of an ionic compound is the energy released when one mole of the
compound is formed from its free gaseous ions under standard conditions.
Eg Na+(g) + Cl-(g) NaCl(s)
The formation of sodium chloride from sodium and chlorine thus consists of the
following five processes:
Process
Atomisation enthalpy of
sodium
Atomisation enthalpy of
chlorine
First ionisation energy of
sodium
First electron affinity of
chlorine
Lattice energy of sodium
chloride

Equation
Na(s) Na(g)

Enthalpy change/ kJmol-1

+107

1/2Cl2(g) Cl(g)

+122

Na(g) Na+(g) + e

+496

Cl(g) + e Cl-(g)

-348

Na+(g) + Cl-(g) NaCl(s)

-780

Atomisation enthalpies and ionisation enthalpies are always positive (ie endothermic).
First electron affinities (usually) and lattice enthalpies are negative (ie exothermic).
The sequence of processes making up the formation of an ionic compound can be shown
as an energetic cycle known as a Born-Haber cycle:

Na+(g) + e + Cl(g)
-348
Na+(g) + Cl-(g)

+496

Na(g) + Cl(g)
+107
Na(s) + Cl(g)

-780

+122
Na(s) + 1/2Cl2(g)

NaCl(s)
The enthalpy of formation of NaCl can be calculated from Hess' Law:
Hf(NaCl) = +107 + 122 + 496 + (-348) + (-780) = -403 kJmol-1.
Born-Haber cycles can be used to calculate any of the above processes if all the others are
known. In practice it is usually used to calculate the electron affinity or the lattice
enthalpy, since these are difficult processes to measure directly.

DISSOLVING IONIC COMPOUNDS

Ions are strongly attracted to water, since water is a polar molecule and so cations are
attracted to the O atoms in water and anions are attracted to H atoms:
The energy released when a gaseous ion is dissolved in water is known as the hydration
enthalpy of the ion:
Mx+(g) Mx+(aq)
Not all ionic compounds are soluble, however, since the ions in the solid state are also
attracted to each other (cf lattice energy). The energy required to break up an ionic lattice
is known as the lattice dissociation enthalpy.
The enthalpy change when one mole of an ionic compound dissolves in excess water is
known as the enthalpy of solution. The more exothermic the enthalpy of solution, the
more likely the compound is to dissolve.
Eg NaCl(s) NaCl(aq)
Na+(g) + Cl-(g)

Na+(aq) + Cl-(aq)
NaCl(s)
The hydration energy depends on the charge and the size of the ions: the larger the charge
and the smaller the size, the larger the hydration energy.
Ion
Hydration energy/kJmol-1

Na+
-406

K+
-322

Mg2+
-1920

Ca2+
-1650

Cl-364

Br-337

.Solubility of ionic compounds in water thus varies widely, and depends on the balance
between the hydration energy of the ions and the lattice energy of the compound. Most
ionic compounds are at least partially soluble in water.

The solubility of ionic compounds can be calculated using the lattice energy of the
compound and the hydration energy of the ions according to the following Hess' Law
cycle:
H(solution) = (H(hydration)) - H(lattice formation)
or
H(solution) = (H(hydration))+ H(lattice dissociation)
eg for sodium chloride:
lattice dissociation enthalpy of NaCl: +780 kJmol-1
hydration enthalpy of sodium ion: -406 kJmol-1
hydration enthalpy of chloride ion: -364 kJmol-1
enthalpy of solution of NaCl = 780 406 364 = +10 kJmol-1
The greater the lattice energy, the harder it is to separate the ions and the lower the
solubility. The greater the hydration energy, the greater the energy released when the ions
dissolve in water and the greater the solubility.

SPONTANEOUS REACTIONS
It is often cited that reactions take place in order that the substances can become more
stable (i.e. lower their potential energy). This is what happens during exothermic
reactions. However this cannot be reconciled with the fact that many endothermic
reactions proceed readily under normal conditions.
Two common endothermic reactions are:
NH4Cl(s) NH4Cl(aq) at room temperature
CaCO3(s) CaO(s) + CO2(g) at temperatures above 1000oC
It follows that there must be other factors, other than the enthalpy change, which
determine whether or not a reaction will proceed spontaneously; the enthalpy change is
important but not the only factor.
ENTROPY
The other factor which determines whether or not a reaction will take place is the change
in entropy.
Entropy is a measure of the degree of disorder of a system.
A high degree of disorder makes a substance more stable.
Eg entropy increases solids < liquids < gases
Generally metals have a higher entropy than non-metallic solids
Typical entropy values are:
Substance
Diamond
Graphite
Aluminium
Water
Carbon monoxide
Carbon dioxide
Argon

Entropy/ Jmol-1K-1
2.4
5.7
28.3
69.9
197.6
213.6
154.7

It is possible to calculate the entropy change for a reaction by applying the formula:
S = Sproducts - Sreactants
eg Calculate the entropy change for the reaction C(s) + CO2(g) 2CO(g)
S = 2(197.6) 213.6 5.7 = 175.9 Jmol-1K-1

If S is +ve then a reaction is likely.

If S is ve then a reaction is unlikely.
Chemical reactions are favoured if they are accompanied by an increase in entropy.
Many endothermic reactions proceed spontaneously under normal conditions because
there is an increase in entropy. Some exothermic reactions do not proceed spontaneously
because there is a decrease in entropy.
FREE ENERGY
Whether or not a reaction will proceed thus depends on a balance between entropy and
enthalpy. These two quantities combine to give a single term, known as free energy. The
change in free energy of a reaction is the ultimate test of whether it will proceed.
G = H - TS
G = change in free energy
H = change in enthalpy
S = change in entropy
If G = -ve, the reaction will proceed, even if H = +ve (though it may be very slow if
the reactants have kinetic stability).
If G = +ve, the reaction will not proceed, even if H = -ve.
So enthalpy changes in chemical reactions are useful, but they cannot be used to predict
whether or not a reaction will take place.
CRITICAL TEMPERATURE
Because the free energy change G depends on TS, the effect of entropy becomes more
important at higher temperatures.
If H is ve and S is positive, the reaction will be spontaneous at all temperatures.
If H is +ve and S is negative, the reaction will not be spontaneous at any temperature.
However if H and S are both +ve, the reaction will be spontaneous only above a
certain temperature. If H and S are both ve, the reaction will be spontaneous only
below a certain temperature.
The critical temperature is the temperature at which G = 0, so H = TS.
T = H/S