Which term means a process that releases heat?

Which term means a process that releases heat?

• A. Endothermic
• B. Exothermic
• C. Reaction intermediate
• D. Integrated rate law

Answer: (B)

Exothermic describes a process that releases heat. When energy leaves the system and goes into the surroundings, the enthalpy change is negative, and the surroundings often warm up. The opposite is endothermic, which absorbs heat from the surroundings. The other terms don’t describe heat flow: a reaction intermediate is a short‑lived species in a reaction mechanism, and an integrated rate law relates concentrations to time in kinetics, not heat transfer.

Exothermic describes a process that releases heat. When energy leaves the system and goes into the surroundings, the enthalpy change is negative, and the surroundings often warm up. The opposite is endothermic, which absorbs heat from the surroundings. The other terms don’t describe heat flow: a reaction intermediate is a short‑lived species in a reaction mechanism, and an integrated rate law relates concentrations to time in kinetics, not heat transfer.