An exergonic reaction is a chemical reactionwhere the change in the free energy is negative (there is a net release of free energy),[1] indicating a spontaneous reaction. For processes that take place under constant pressure and temperature conditions, theGibbs free energy is used whereas theHelmholtz energy is used for processes that take place under constant volume and temperature conditions.
Symbolically, the release of free energy, G, in an exergonic reaction (at constant pressure and temperature) is denoted as
{\displaystyle \Delta G=G_{\rm {products}}-G_{\rm {reactants}}<0.\,}
Although exergonic reactions are said to occur spontaneously, this does not imply that the reaction will take place at an observablerate. For instance, the disproportionation of hydrogen peroxide is very slow in the absence of a suitable catalyst. It has been suggested that eager would be a more intuitive term in this context.[2]
More generally, the terms exergonic andendergonic relate to the free energy change in any process, not just chemical reactions. An example of an exergonic reaction is cellular respiration.
By contrast, the terms exothermic andendothermic relate to the overall exchange ofheat during a process.
