A typical frostless refrigerator uses 655 kWh of energy per year in the form of electricity. Suppose that all of this electricity is generated at a power plant that burns coal containing 3.2% sulfur by mass and that all of the sulfur is emitted as SO2 when the coal is burned. If all of the SO2 goes on to react with rainwater to form H2SO4, what mass of H2SO4 does the annual operation of the refrigerator produce? (Hint: Assume that the remaining percentage of the coal is carbon and begin by calculating ∆H° rxnfor the combustion of carbon.)
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.
A typical frostless refrigerator uses 655 kWh of energy per year in the form of electricity. Suppose that all of this electricity is generated at a power plant that burns coal containing 3.2% sulfur by mass and that all of the sulfur is emitted as SO2 when the coal is burned. If all of the SO2 goes on to react with rainwater to form H2SO4, what mass of H2SO4 does the annual operation of the refrigerator produce? (Hint: Assume that the remaining percentage of the coal is carbon and begin by calculating ∆H° rxnfor the combustion of carbon.)
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