Question

If a reaction is endothermic, the amount of heat appears on the _____side of the arrow in the balanced equation?

1) left
2) right
3) both sides
4) cannot be determined

Answer 1

In an endothermic reaction, heat is absorbed and is represented on the left side of the balanced chemical equation, alongside the reactants.

Step-by-step explanation:

If a reaction is endothermic, the amount of heat is absorbed from the surroundings into the system as the reaction proceeds. Therefore, in the standard convention of writing chemical equations, an endothermic reaction is represented with the heat term on the left side of the equation. This is because the heat is treated as a reactant, which is consumed during the reaction.

For example, the balanced chemical equation for an endothermic reaction might look like this:

• Heat + Reactants → Products

This shows that heat is required for the reactants to convert into products. It contrasts with an exothermic reaction, where heat is released and thus appears on the right side of the equation, alongside the products.