A pile of wet mud and a pile of sandy clay are placed next to each other on a sunny day. If the temperature of each pile is equal and allowed to cool in the shade for a few minutes, which substance is likely to show a lower temperature and why? Wet mud, because it released more heat while placed in the sun.
Thermochemistry
Thermochemistry can be considered as a branch of thermodynamics that deals with the connections between warmth, work, and various types of energy, formed because of different synthetic and actual cycles. Thermochemistry describes the energy changes that occur as a result of reactions or chemical changes in a substance.
Exergonic Reaction
The term exergonic is derived from the Greek word in which ‘ergon’ means work and exergonic means ‘work outside’. Exergonic reactions releases work energy. Exergonic reactions are different from exothermic reactions, the one that releases only heat energy during the course of the reaction. So, exothermic reaction is one type of exergonic reaction. Exergonic reaction releases work energy in different forms like heat, light or sound. For example, a glow stick releases light making that an exergonic reaction and not an exothermic reaction since no heat is released. Even endothermic reactions at very high temperature are exergonic.
The specific heats of two natural substances are shown in the table.
Specific Heat
| Natural Substance | Specific Heat |
|---|---|
| Wet Mud | 2.5 J/g °C |
| Sandy Clay | 1.4 J/g °C |
A pile of wet mud and a pile of sandy clay are placed next to each other on a sunny day.
If the temperature of each pile is equal and allowed to cool in the shade for a few minutes, which substance is likely to show a lower temperature and why?
Wet mud, because it released more heat while placed in the sun.
Sandy clay, because it absorbed more heat while placed in the sun.
Wet mud, because it requires less energy to increase its temperature.
Sandy clay, because it needs to release less energy to decrease its temperature.
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