Thermochemistry - Definition and Overview

Thermochemistry is the application of thermodynamics to chemistry.

Thermochemistry is used to predict the energy exchanges that occur in the following processes:

1. chemical reactions
2. phase changes such as boiling and melting
3. the formation of solutions

Thermochemistry is primarily concerned with the following state functions defined in thermodynamics:

• Internal energy (U)
• Enthalpy (H).
• Entropy (S)
• Gibbs free energy (G)

Most identities in Thermochemistry arise from application of the first law of thermodynamics, the Law of Conservation of Energy, to these state function.

See also Important publications in thermochemistry