If you put together two liquids and they react, but don't necessarily give off heat, would that still be an exothermic reaction because they don't take outside energy to react with each other?
To determine whether a reaction is exothermic or not, it's important to understand the concept of energy exchange. In chemistry, reactions can be exothermic or endothermic, based on whether they release or absorb energy, respectively.
In your scenario, if two liquids react without giving off heat, it means there is no detectable increase in temperature. This could indicate one of the following possibilities:
1. The reaction is not exothermic: Some reactions do not involve a significant energy exchange in the form of heat. If the energy released by the reaction in the form of heat is negligible, we can consider it as a non-exothermic reaction.
2. The energy released is being dissipated: While the reaction itself may be exothermic, the released heat might be quickly dissipated to the surroundings, such as by evaporating a volatile liquid or being absorbed by a surrounding medium if it is a weak exothermic reaction.
In either case, it is important to note that if a reaction does not give off heat, it does not necessarily mean it is not exothermic. Heat may simply be dissipated in such a way that it is not apparent or measurable. To definitively determine the heat exchange in a reaction, it is necessary to measure the temperature change using appropriate calorimetry techniques.