Final answer:
Exothermic processes tend to be spontaneous; however, spontaneity also depends on other factors such as entropy and temperature. Not all exothermic processes are automatically spontaneous without considering these additional factors.
Step-by-step explanation:
Exothermic processes (negative enthalpy change) have a tendency to be spontaneous processes. The concept of spontaneity in chemistry is related to the natural tendency of processes to occur without external intervention. While many spontaneous processes are indeed exothermic, meaning they release heat, it's important to note that not all exothermic processes are spontaneous, and not all spontaneous processes are exothermic. For instance, melting ice or dissolving certain salts are endothermic yet can be spontaneous under the right conditions.
It's the overall change in Gibbs free energy, not just the enthalpy, that determines spontaneity. A process is spontaneous if the change in free energy (ΔG) is negative. While an exothermic reaction where ΔH is negative contributes favorably to ΔG, the process's entropy change (ΔS) and the temperature also play crucial roles in determining spontaneity.