Chemistry 1302A/B Chapter Notes - Chapter 2.1: Thermal Energy, Thermodynamics, Calorie

• School: Western University
• Department: Chemistry
• Course: Chemistry 1302A/B
• Professor: Dr.James Noël

Document Summary

What is thermodynamics: thermodynamics is the study of energy changes involved in physical and chemical processes. Thermochemistry is the branch of thermodynamics that investigates the heat flow that occurs during these reactions: one of the many important applications of thermodynamics is the determination of the energy content of various foods. The nutritional value of a food item is typically stated in terms of energy units called calories (cal). The calories you typically see on a food package is actually a kilocalorie (kcal), or 1,000 calories. 4. 184 kj, is the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 kg of water by 1 degree celsius. Systems and surroundings: heat always flows from the warmer object to the colder object. In any study of heat flow, it is important to distinguish between a system and its surroundings. A system is that part of the universe that one wants to study.