An exothermic reaction is a process that

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

An exothermic reaction releases heat energy to the surroundings, so the system loses enthalpy (ΔH < 0) and the surroundings gain enthalpy (ΔH > 0). Since the system loses order in an exothermic reaction (by releasing energy), the entropy of the system also increases (ΔS > 0). The surroundings gain order, so the entropy of the surroundings decreases (ΔS < 0). Therefore, the correct choice is A, which has a negative ΔH and a positive ΔS for the system, and a positive ΔS for the surroundings.

An Exothermic Reaction Is a Process That