Enthalpy is a measure of the total energy of a thermodynamic system, including internal energy and the energy required to displace its environment. It is often used to quantify the heat change in biochemical reactions at constant pressure.
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Enthalpy changes are denoted by ΔH, which represents the difference between the enthalpy of products and reactants.
A negative ΔH indicates an exothermic reaction, releasing heat to the surroundings.
A positive ΔH signifies an endothermic reaction, absorbing heat from the surroundings.
In biological systems, enthalpy changes can influence metabolic pathways and enzyme activity.
The standard enthalpy change (ΔH°) is measured under standard conditions: 298K temperature, 1 atm pressure.
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Related terms
Free Energy: The amount of work that can be extracted from a system at constant temperature and pressure.
Activation Energy: The minimum quantity of energy needed for a chemical reaction to occur.