Predictive power of thermodynamics

When writing equations, two sets of possible products may look reasonable until the reaction is considered from the point of view of the thermodynamic changes involved. In many cases, the use of thermodynamic data allows the correct products to be identified. The predictive power of thermodynamics in deciding how reactions take place should not be overlooked. 

Much of descriptive inorganic chemistry deals with reactions, so Chapter 4 presents a survey of the most important reaction types and the predictive power of thermodynamics. The utility of acid-base chemistry in classifying chemical behavior is described in Chapter 5. The chemistry of the elements follows in Chapters 6-17 based on the periodic table. The remaining chapters are devoted to the transition metals, coordination chemistry, and organometallic compounds. 

Given the predictive power of thermodynamics, the theory holds a prominent place in the study of chemistry. The machinery of thermodynamics really boils down to three concepts energy, entropy, and free energy. We will start with energy and build from there. 

In Chapters 7 and 8, we showed how the First Law, adiabatic boundaries, and thermodynamic cycles are used to predict nonmeasurable thermodynamic quantities from measurable ones. In the next section we show how the predictive power of thermodynamics is extended by the Maxwell relations. 

---

See also in sourсe #XX -- [ ]

---