This key facts covers Key Facts: Endothermic Reactions within Endothermic Reactions for GCSE Chemistry. Revise Endothermic Reactions in Energy Changes for GCSE Chemistry with 20 exam-style questions and 14 flashcards. This topic appears less often, but it can still be a useful differentiator on mixed-topic papers. It is section 7 of 12 in this topic. Use this key facts to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
📌 Key Facts: Endothermic Reactions
- Temperature decreases — the reaction mixture and surroundings get colder
- Energy is absorbed — transferred from surroundings into reaction
- ΔH is positive — enthalpy (energy change) is greater than zero (e.g., ΔH = +178 kJ/mol)
- Energy profile goes up — products higher than reactants on diagram
- Everyday uses: Sports cold packs, some cooking processes
- Often need continuous heating — thermal decomposition requires heat input
Practice questions for Endothermic Reactions
In an endothermic reaction, energy is:
Explain why a sports cold pack becomes cold when activated.
Quick recall flashcards
What does "endo" mean?
Inside — energy enters from surroundings
What is an endothermic reaction?
A reaction that absorbs/takes in energy from the surroundings