8.

5 Enthalpies of Formation
YOU ARE EXPECTED TO BE ABLE TO:

Relate H to enthalpies of formation.

Chemistry 1011 Slot 5

Enthalpies of Formation
Heats of Formation, or Enthalpies of Formation,
are used to provide a concise collection of
thermochemical data
For consistency, enthalpy of formation data are
recorded for reactions that take place under
standard conditions
Standard conditions are
Constant pressure of 1 atmosphere
Fixed temperature of 25oC
Chemistry 1011 Slot 5

Standard Molar Enthalpy of

Formation
The enthalpy change when one mole of a
compound is formed from its elements at
1 atm and 25oC
The elements must be in their stable states
at this pressure and temperature
1/ N
2 2(g)

+ 3/2H2(g) NH3(g); Hof = 46.1kJ

Chemistry 1011 Slot 5

Notes About Hof

Enthalpies of formation are listed in most data
books and are shown in Table 8.3 of the text (page
221)
Most enthalpies of formation are negative. This
means that the formation of a compound from its
elements is exothermic
There are no entries in a table of enthalpies of
formation for elemental species such as Br2, O2,
N2, etc. Hof for an element is zero
Chemistry 1011 Slot 5

Using Heats of Formation

Enthalpies of formation can be used to
determine the Standard Enthalpy Change
for a reaction, Ho
One way is to apply Hess Law:
Use Hof for CaCO3, CaO and CO2 to
determine the standard heat of reaction for

CaCO3(s) CaO(s) + CO2(g)

Chemistry 1011 Slot 5

Ca(s) + C(s) + 3/2O2(g) CaCO3(s) ; H = -1206.9kJ

Ca(s) + 1/2O2(g) CaO(s) ; H = -635.1kJ
C(s) + O2(g) CO2(g) ; H = -393.5kJ

Reverse equation 1
Add equation 2
Add equation 3

CaCO3(s) Ca(s) + C(s) + 3/2O2(g) ; H = +1206.9kJ

Ca(s) + 1/2O2(g) CaO(s) ; H = -635.1kJ
C(s) + O2(g) CO2(g) ; H = -393.5kJ
CaCO3(s) CaO(s) + CO2(g); H = +178.3kJ
Chemistry 1011 Slot 5

An Alternative Process
The standard enthalpy change for a reaction is
equal to the sum of the standard enthalpies of
formation of the products minus the sum of the
standard enthalpies of formation of the reactants
Ho = f products f reactants
Coefficients of reactants and products in the
balanced equation for the reaction must be taken
into account
Chemistry 1011 Slot 5

Textbook Example 8.8

Calculate Ho for the combustion of one
mole of propane, C3H8
C3H8(g) + 5O2(g) 3CO2(g) + 4H2O(l)
Ho = [3 Hof CO2(g) + 4 Hof H2O(l)] - [Hof C3H8(g) + 5 Hof
O2(g)]

Ho = [3 x -393.5 + 4 x -285.8] [1 x 103.8 + 5 x 0]

Ho = -2219.9kJ

Chemistry 1011 Slot 5

Enthalpies of Formation of Ions in

Solution
It is possible to construct a table to show the
heats of formation of ions in solution
However, all ionic solution processes
involve both a + and a ion
HCl(g) H+(aq) + Cl(aq)
To get around this problem, Hof for the H+(aq)
ion is set at zero
Chemistry 1011 Slot 5

Determining Enthalpies of Formation

of Ions in Solution
When HCl(g) is added to water
HCl(g) H+(aq) + Cl(aq); Ho = -74.9kJ
Using the summation method:
-74.9kJ = [Hof H+(aq) + Hof Cl(aq)] - [Hof HCl(g) ]
-74.9kJ = 0 + Hof Cl(aq) + 92.3kJ (from Table 8.3)
Hof Cl(aq) = -74.9kJ - 92.3kJ = -167.2kJ
Chemistry 1011 Slot 5

10

Using Enthalpies of Formation of Ions

in Solution
Example 8.10
Calculate Ho for the reaction:
2H+(aq) + CO32(aq) CO2(g) + H2O(l)
Use the summation method

Chemistry 1011 Slot 5

11