This document discusses exothermic and endothermic reactions. Exothermic reactions release heat, while endothermic reactions absorb heat. Combustion reactions of hydrocarbons like methane and propane are exothermic, producing carbon dioxide, water vapor, and large amounts of heat. The heat of reaction, ΔH, indicates whether a reaction is exothermic (negative ΔH) or endothermic (positive ΔH). Bond energies represent the energy required to break bonds, while heat of combustion measures the heat released from complete combustion. A bomb calorimeter is used to accurately measure heats of combustion by igniting samples in excess oxygen. Hess's law states that the heat change of a reaction depends only on