5. Thermodynamics
Thermodynamics explores the relationships between heat, work, and energy changes in macroscopic systems. The laws of thermodynamics govern these exchanges under various conditions, extracting energy transformations that occur during chemical reactions and phase changes. Internal energy, enthalpy, and spontaneity criteria, represented through Gibbs free energy, are crucial for understanding reaction behavior and equilibrium.
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5.2.2.aA Useful New State Function
This section introduces the concept of enthalpy as a new state function...
What we have learnt
- The universe is divided into the system and the surroundings.
- The first law of thermodynamics asserts that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed.
- Entropy quantifies the degree of disorder in a system, and increases with spontaneous processes.
Key Concepts
- -- System
- The part of the universe being studied; everything else is the surroundings.
- -- Enthalpy (H)
- A thermodynamic quantity representing heat content, defined as H = U + pV, where U is internal energy.
- -- Entropy (S)
- A measure of disorder or randomness in a system; an increase in entropy indicates a spontaneous process.
- -- Gibbs Free Energy (G)
- A thermodynamic potential that measures the maximum reversible work that can be performed at constant temperature and pressure; determined by G = H - TS, where T is temperature.
- -- Adiabatic Process
- A thermodynamic process in which no heat is transferred to or from the system.
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