Spontaneity thermodynamics and

The oxidation of hydrogen to water (Hj -t- i Oj -> HjO) is thermodynamically spontaneous and the energy released as a result of the chemical reaction appears as heat energy, but the decomposition of water into its elements is a non-spontaneous process and can be achieved only by supplying energy from an external source, e.g. a source of e.m.f. that decomposes the water electrolytically. Furthermore, although the heat produced by the spontaneous reaction could be converted into electrical energy, the electrical... 

FIGURE 12.17 Iron nails stored in oxygen-free water (left) do not rust, because the oxidizing power of water itself is weak. When oxygen is present (as a result of air dissolving in the water, right), oxidation is thermodynamically spontaneous and rust soon forms. 

From Table 7-1, the formation of diamond from graphite (the standard state of carbon) is accompanied by a positive AH of 1.88 kJ/mol at 25 C. From Problem 16.1(0, AS for the same process is negative. Since 25 °C is not the transition temperature, the process is not a reversible one. In fact, it is not even a spontaneous irreversible process, and (16-2) does not apply with the inequality sign. On the contrary, the opposite process, the conversion of diamond to graphite at one atmosphere, is thermodynamically spontaneous, and AS for this process would obey (16-2) with the inequality sign. It may come as an unpleasant surprise to jewelers to learn that diamond is unstable. The term spontaneous, however, implies nothing about the speed of a reaction, which in this case is interminably slow at normal temperatures in the absence of a catalyst. 

This relatively large negative value for AG means that the reaction is thermodynamically spontaneous and will take place under standard thermodynamic conditions (namely, 100 kPa pressure, 298 K (25 °C) and both solutions with a concentration of 1 moldm" ). 

The back ET reaction to regenerate the original ground-state D and A is thermodynamically favorable and is very likely to occur spontaneously. Therefore, it is critically important to suppress the back ET in order to utilize the photogenerated radical ion pair for subsequent useful reactions. 

This condition means that for f < 0.63 the disordered arrangement of molecules is thermodynamically unstable and the system is spontaneously reorganized into an ordered liquid crystalline phase of a nematic type (Flory called this state crystalline ). This result has been obtained only as a consequence of limited chain flexibility without taking into account intermolecular interactions. 

In Chapter 1 we described the fundamental thermodynamic properties internal energy U and entropy S. They are the subjects of the First and Second Laws of Thermodynamics. These laws not only provide the mathematical relationships we need to calculate changes in U, S, H,A, and G, but also allow us to predict spontaneity and the point of equilibrium in a chemical process. The mathematical relationships provided by the laws are numerous, and we want to move ahead now to develop these equations.1... 

We now have the foundation for applying thermodynamics to chemical processes. We have defined the potential that moves mass in a chemical process and have developed the criteria for spontaneity and for equilibrium in terms of this chemical potential. We have defined fugacity and activity in terms of the chemical potential and have derived the equations for determining the effect of pressure and temperature on the fugacity and activity. Finally, we have introduced the concept of a standard state, have described the usual choices of standard states for pure substances (solids, liquids, or gases) and for components in solution, and have seen how these choices of standard states reduce the activity to pressure in gaseous systems in the limits of low pressure, to concentration (mole fraction or molality) in solutions in the limit of low concentration of solute, and to a value near unity for pure solids or pure liquids at pressures near ambient. 

Chemical processes are central to the study of chemistry. The thermodynamic principles and relationships we have developed provide powerful tools for describing these processes, especially in predicting the spontaneity of the process and the equilibrium conditions that apply. 

Let us consider, for instance, the case of i-PB. By crystallization on cooling from the melt, the metastable form II is obtained, which spontaneously and gradually in a few days at room temperature is transformed into the crystalline form I, which is the most thermodynamically stable [65],... 

The last chapter in this introductory part covers the basic physical chemistry that is required for using the rest of the book. The main ideas of this chapter relate to basic thermodynamics and kinetics. The thermodynamic conditions determine whether a reaction will occur spontaneously, and if so whether the reaction releases energy and how much of the products are produced compared to the amount of reactants once the system reaches thermodynamic equilibrium. Kinetics, on the other hand, determine how fast a reaction occurs if it is thermodynamically favorable. In the natural environment, we have systems for which reactions would be thermodynamically favorable, but the kinetics are so slow that the system remains in a state of perpetual disequilibrium. A good example of one such system is our atmosphere, as is also covered later in Chapter 7. As part of the presentation of thermodynamics, a section on oxidation-reduction (redox) is included in this chapter. This is meant primarily as preparation for Chapter 16, but it is important to keep this material in mind for the rest of the book as well, since redox reactions are responsible for many of the elemental transitions in biogeochemical cycles. 

Equation (3) defines the equilibrium condition under the constraint that temperature and pressure are constant. A related consequence of the Second Law is that if AG < 0 the reaction of the reactant to product is thermodynamically spontaneous. Thermodynamic spontaneity means that... 

In mammalian cells, the two most common forms of covalent modification are partial proteolysis and ph osphorylation. Because cells lack the ability to reunite the two portions of a protein produced by hydrolysis of a peptide bond, proteolysis constitutes an irreversible modification. By contrast, phosphorylation is a reversible modification process. The phosphorylation of proteins on seryl, threonyl, or tyrosyl residues, catalyzed by protein kinases, is thermodynamically spontaneous. Equally spontaneous is the hydrolytic removal of these phosphoryl groups by enzymes called protein phosphatases. 

Notice that the word spontaneous has a different meaning in thermodynamics than it does in everyday speech. Ordinarily, spontaneous refers to an event that takes place without any effort or premeditation. For example, a crowd cheers spontaneously for an outstanding performance. In thermodynamics, spontaneous refers only to the natural direction of a process, without regard to whether it occurs rapidly and easily. Chemical kinetics, which we introduce in Chapter 15, describes the factors that determine the speeds of chemical reactions. Thermodynamic spontaneity refers to the direction that a process will take if left alone and given enough time. 

C14-0117. The notion of thermodynamic coupling of a nonspontaneous process with a spontaneous process is not restricted to chemical reactions. Identify the spontaneous and nonspontaneous portions of the following coupled processes (a) Water behind a dam passes through a turbine and generates electricity, (b) A gasoline engine pumps water from a valley to the top of a hill. 

The relative values of the potentials given above indicate that hydrogen peroxide is thermodynamically unstable and may decompose spontaneously via the reaction... 

In colloid science, colloidal systems are commonly classified as being lyophilic or lyophobic, based on the interaction between the dispersed phase and the dispersion medium. In lyophilic dispersions, there is a considerable affinity between the two constituent phases (e.g., hydrophilic polymers in water, polystyrene in benzene). The more restrictive terms hydrophilic and oleophilic can be used when the external phase is water and a nonpolar liquid, respectively. In contrast, in lyophobic systems there is little attraction between the two phases (e.g., aqueous dispersions of sulfur). If the dispersion medium is water, the term hydrophobic can be used. Resulting from the high affinity between the dispersed phase and the dispersion medium, lyophilic systems often form spontaneously and are considered as being thermodynamically stable. On the other hand, lyophobic systems generally do not form spontaneously and are intrinsically unstable. 

Gas-phase ion chemistry is a broad field which has many applications and which encompasses various branches of chemistry and physics. An application that draws together many of these branches is the synthesis of molecules in interstellar clouds (Herbst). This was part of the motivation for studies on the neutralization of ions by electrons (Johnsen and Mitchell) and on isomerization in ion-neutral associations (Adams and Fisher). The results of investigations of particular aspects of ion dynamics are presented in these association studies, in studies of the intermediates of binary ion-molecule Sn2 reactions (Hase, Wang, and Peslherbe), and in those of excited states of ions and their associated neutrals (Richard, Lu, Walker, and Weisshaar). Solvation in ion-molecule reactions is discussed (Castleman) and extended to include multiply charged ions by the application of electrospray techniques (Klassen, Ho, Blades, and Kebarle). These studies also provide a wealth of information on reaction thermodynamics which is critical in determining reaction spontaneity and availability of reaction channels. More focused studies relating to the ionization process and its nature are presented in the final chapter (Harland and Vallance). 

In Chapter 15, we learned that reactions which are thermodynamically favorable have negative AG values and occur spontaneously as written. However, thermodynamics cannot be used to determine the rate of a reaction. Kinetically favorable reactions must be thermodynamically favorable and have a low enough activation energy to occur at a reasonable rate at a certain temperature. 

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