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In
thermodynamicsThermodynamics is a physical science that studies the effects on material bodies, and on radiation in regions of space, of transfer of heat and of work done on or by the bodies or radiation...
, the word
endothermic ("within-heating") describes a process or reaction in which the system absorbs
energyIn physics, energy is an indirectly observed quantity. It is often understood as the ability a physical system has to do work on other physical systems...
from the surroundings in the form of
heatIn physics and thermodynamics, heat is energy transferred from one body, region, or thermodynamic system to another due to thermal contact or thermal radiation when the systems are at different temperatures. It is often described as one of the fundamental processes of energy transfer between...
. Its etymology stems from the prefix
endo- (derived from the Greek word ένδον, endon, "within") and the Greek word
thermasi, (meaning “to heat”). The opposite of an endothermic process is an
exothermicIn thermodynamics, the term exothermic describes a process or reaction that releases energy from the system, usually in the form of heat, but also in the form of light , electricity , or sound...
process, one that releases energy in the form of heat. The term
endothermic was coined by
Marcellin BerthelotMarcelin Pierre Eugène Berthelot was a French chemist and politician noted for the Thomsen-Berthelot principle of thermochemistry. He synthesized many organic compounds from inorganic substances and disproved the theory of vitalism. He is considered as one of the greatest chemists of all time.He...
(25 October 1827 – 18 March 1907).
The concept is frequently applied in physical sciences to, for example, chemical reactions, where
thermal energyThermal energy is the part of the total internal energy of a thermodynamic system or sample of matter that results in the system's temperature....
(heat) is converted to chemical
bond energyIn chemistry, bond energy is the measure of bond strength in a chemical bond. It is the heat required to break one Mole of molecules into their individual atoms. For example, the carbon-hydrogen bond energy in methane E is the enthalpy change involved with breaking up one molecule of methane into...
.
Implications for chemical reactions
Chemical endothermic reactions need heat to be performed. In a thermochemical reaction that is endothermic, the heat is placed on the reactants side (heat is necessary for and absorbed during the reaction).
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