In an exothermic reaction, what happens to the enthalpy of the system?

In an exothermic reaction, energy is released into the surroundings, resulting in a decrease in the enthalpy of the system. Enthalpy is a measure of the total heat content of a system, and during an exothermic process, the chemical bonds in the reactants are broken and reformed in the products, releasing energy, usually in the form of heat. This release of energy leads to a lower energy state for the products compared to the reactants, which corresponds to a decrease in overall enthalpy.

Thus, since energy is being released rather than absorbed, the enthalpy of the system decreases, aligning with the definition of an exothermic reaction.