You’d better start practicing!
Energetics (aka thermodynamics) is the study of energy in chemical reactions, and is central to giving us a deeper understanding of the way chemical reactions work. The topic will build on what you already know about endothermic and exothermic reactions, bringing a mathematical framework to your understanding, before (at HL) moving on to look at more advanced concepts such as free energy and entropy.
This unit will require you to do a lot of calculations and will assume your understanding of stoichiometry (moles etc), so if this is still a weakness for you, you will need to take the initiative and practice. See here for resources and things that you could use to help with this.
The unit will be assessed by a test at the end of the topic, and perhaps an internal assessment (you will have choice of doing one on energetics or kinetics (the next unit).
Presentation
You are strongly encouraged to use this in lessons, and make notes on it. Used in conjunction with the experiments and other activities it more or less contains everything you need to know. This can be viewed on most laptops, smart phones and tablets!
Experiments and Worksheets
- Bond Enthalpies – The Decomposition of Hydrogen Peroxide
- Calorimetry
- Determining Gibbs Free Energy and Entropy
- Endothermic and Exothermic Reactions
- Hess’ Law – Decomposition of Sodium Hydrogen Carbonate
- Born-Haber Cycles
On the Web
- Clearly explained videos on each part of the topic
- The energetics stuff most relevant to Chemistry starts about two thirds of the way down the scroll-bar menu on the left hand side
- Good clear notes. Focuses mostly on enthalpy.