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Enthalpy: A Measure of the Heat Evolved or Absorbed in a Reaction
- Chemical reactions can be exothermic (they emit thermal energy when they occur).
- Chemical reactions can be endothermic (they absorb thermal energy when they occur).
- The amount of thermal energy emitted or absorbed by a chemical reaction, under conditions of constant pressure (which are common for most everyday reactions), can be quantified with a function called enthalpy.