Meaning & use
exothermically
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Meaning
adverbnot comparablechemistry
In a way that gives out heat to the surroundings, as many chemical reactions do.
Grammar: It modifies a verb: the mixture reacts exothermically, not 'exothermic'.
Patterns
- react exothermically
- burn exothermically
Sodium reacts exothermically with water, and the flask quickly becomes warm.
Concrete hardens exothermically, so thick pours can heat up inside.
The fuel burns exothermically, releasing far more energy than was needed to start it.
Common combinations
- react exothermically
- The two chemicals react exothermically when they are mixed.
- decompose exothermically
- The compound decomposes exothermically above a certain temperature.
- proceed exothermically
- The reaction proceeds exothermically once it has started.
- burn exothermically
- Magnesium burns exothermically with a bright white flame.
Synonyms and how they differ
- heat-releasing
- is a plain-English adjective phrase, while exothermically is a technical adverb that fits scientific description.
- hotly
- can describe temperature in everyday speech, but it does not say that heat is a product of a chemical change.
Opposites
Word family
- exothermic adjective
- describing a process that releases heat
- endothermic adjective
- describing a process that absorbs heat
- thermal adjective
- relating to heat
- exotherm noun
- a heat-release curve or peak in a reaction
Commonly confused: exothermically or endothermically?
exothermically vs endothermically
This is the opposite: the process takes in heat, so the surroundings get colder.
Practice
Which sentence uses the word correctly?
Choose one answer.
Exothermically means giving out heat, so a hot container fits. A cooling ice pack is endothermic, and the other options misuse the adverb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “exothermically”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.