Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 exam•Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Definition
An enthalpy-driven reaction is a chemical reaction in which the change in enthalpy (heat) is the driving force behind the reaction. It occurs when the products have lower enthalpy than the reactants.
Related terms
Activation energy: The minimum amount of energy required for a chemical reaction to occur. If it's too high, even with favorable enthalpy change, the reaction may be nonspontaneous.
Equilibrium constant: A measure of how far a chemical reaction proceeds towards completion or equilibrium. If it is less than 1, it indicates that the forward reaction is nonspontaneous.
A measure of disorder in a system. In some cases, even if there is favorable enthalpy change, if the increase in entropy isn't sufficient, the reaction may be nonspontaneous.