3. Impact assessment: thermal energy

3.1 Heat of reaction

In the fine chemicals industry, most reactions are exothermic, i.e. they involve the release of heat. The potential damage caused by a loss of control of a reaction is obviously linked to the energy released. This is why the heat of reaction is one of the key data used to assess the risks involved in industrial-scale production.

The Joule (J) unit of energy is related to other common units as follows:

1 J = 1 N m = 1 W s = 1 kg · m ²  · s ^–2

1 J = 0.239 cal or 1 cal = 4.18 J

The energy units commonly used are :

molar enthalpy of reaction: ΔH _...