Time, thermodynamics, chemical kinetics

We have to resist the temptation to expatiate on the question of the chemical 

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The two main principles involved in establishing conditions for performing a reaction are chemical kinetics and thermodynamics. Chemical kinetics is the study of rate and mechanism by which one chemical species is converted to another. The rate is the mass in moles of a product produced or reactant consumed per unit time. The mechanism is the sequence of individual chemical reaction whose overall result yields the observed reaction. Thermodynamics is a fundamental of engineering having many applications to chemical reactor design. 

In chemical equilibria, the energy relations between the reactants and the products are governed by thermodynamics without concerning the intermediate states or time. In chemical kinetics, the time variable is introduced and rate of change of concentration of reactants or products with respect to time is followed. The chemical kinetics is thus, concerned with the quantitative determination of rate of chemical reactions and of the factors upon which the rates depend. With the knowledge of effect of various factors, such as concentration, pressure, temperature, medium, effect of catalyst etc., on reaction rate, one can consider an interpretation of the empirical laws in terms of reaction mechanism. Let us first define the terms such as rate, rate constant, order, molecularity etc. before going into detail. 

The properties of a system at equilibrium do not change with time, and time therefore is not a thermodynamic variable. An unconstrained system not in its equilibrium state spontaneously changes with time, so experimental and theoretical studies of these changes involve time as a variable. The presence of time as a factor in chemical kinetics adds both interest and difficulty to this branch of chemistry. 

The 2nd law is true only statistically and does not apply to individual particles nor to a small number of particles, i.e. thermodynamics is concerned with bulk properties of systems. Thermodynamics thus has many limitations, but is particularly valuable in defining the nature and structure of phases when equilibrium (a state that does not vary with time) has been attained thermodynamics provides no information on the rate at which the reaction proceeds to equilibrium, which belongs to the realm of chemical kinetics. 

As described in the first part of this chapter, chemical thermodynamics can be used to predict whether a reaction will proceed spontaneously. However, thermodynamics does not provide any insight into how fast this reaction will proceed. This is an important consideration since time scales for spontaneous reactions can vary from nanoseconds to years. Chemical kinetics provides information on reaction rates that thermodynamics cannot. Used in concert, thermodynamics and kinetics can provide valuable insight into the chemical reactions involved in global biogeochemical cycles. 

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. 

The dynamic viewpoint of chemical kinetics may be contrasted with the essentially static viewpoint of thermodynamics. A kinetic system is a system in unidirectional movement toward a condition of thermodynamic equilibrium. The chemical composition of the system changes continuously with time. A system that is in thermodynamic equilibrium, on the other hand, undergoes no net change with time. The thermo-dynamicist is interested only in the initial and final states of the system and is not concerned with the time required for the transition or the molecular processes involved therein the chemical kineticist is concerned primarily with these issues. 

The science of chemical kinetics is concerned primarily with chemical changes and the energy and mass fluxes associated therewith. Thermodynamics, on the other hand, is concerned with equilibrium systems. .. systems that are undergoing no net change with time. This chapter will remind the student of the key thermodynamic principles with which he should be familiar. Emphasis is placed on calculations of equilibrium extents of reaction and enthalpy changes accompanying chemical reactions. 

The rate of a chemical reaction and the extent to which it proceeds play an important role in analytical chemistry. The fundamental problem which faces the analyst arises because thermodynamic data will indicate the position of equilibrium that can be reached, but not the time taken to reach that position. Similarly, a compound may be thermodynamically unstable because its decomposition will lead to a net decrease in free energy, whilst a high activation energy for the decomposition reaction restricts the rate of decomposition. In practical terms such a compound would be stable, e.g. NO. It is thus essential to consider all analytical reactions from both thermodynamic and kinetic viewpoints. 

Mathematical models based on physical and chemical laws (e.g., mass and energy balances, thermodynamics, chemical reaction kinetics) are frequently employed in optimization applications (refer to the examples in Chapters 11 through 16). These models are conceptually attractive because a general model for any system size can be developed even before the system is constructed. A detailed exposition of fundamental mathematical models in chemical engineering is beyond our scope here, although we present numerous examples of physiochemical models throughout the book, especially in Chapters 11 to 16. Empirical models, on the other hand, are attractive when a physical model cannot be developed due to limited time or resources. Input-output data are necessary in order to fit unknown coefficients in either type of the model. 

The overall effect of the preceding chemical reaction on the voltammetric response of a reversible electrode reaction is determined by the thermodynamic parameter K and the dimensionless kinetic parameter . The equilibrium constant K controls mainly the amonnt of the electroactive reactant R produced prior to the voltammetric experiment. K also controls the prodnction of R during the experiment when the preceding chemical reaction is sufficiently fast to permit the chemical equilibrium to be achieved on a time scale of the potential pulses. The dimensionless kinetic parameter is a measure for the production of R in the course of the voltammetric experiment. The dimensionless chemical kinetic parameter can be also understood as a quantitative measure for the rate of reestablishing the chemical equilibrium (2.29) that is misbalanced by proceeding of the electrode reaction. From the definition of follows that the kinetic affect of the preceding chemical reaction depends on the rate of the chemical reaction and duration of the potential pulses. 

We continue our study of chemical kinetics with a presentation of reaction mechanisms. As time permits, we complete this section of the course with a presentation of one or more of the topics Lindemann theory, free radical chain mechanism, enzyme kinetics, or surface chemistry. The study of chemical kinetics is unlike both thermodynamics and quantum mechanics in that the overarching goal is not to produce a formal mathematical structure. Instead, techniques are developed to help design, analyze, and interpret experiments and then to connect experimental results to the proposed mechanism. We devote the balance of the semester to a traditional treatment of classical thermodynamics. In Appendix 2 the reader will find a general outline of the course in place of further detailed descriptions. 

An interesting, but probably incorrect, application of the probabilistic master equation is the description of chemical kinetics in a dilute gas.5 Instead of using the classical deterministic theory, several investigators have introduced single time functions of the form P(n1,n2,t) where P(nu n2, t) is the probability that there are nl particles of type 1 and n2 particles of type 2 in the system at time t. They use the transition rate A(nt, n2 n2, n2, t) from the state with particles of type 1 and n2 particles of type 2 to the state with nt and n2 particles of types 1 and 2, respectively, at time t. The rates that are used are obtained by assuming that only uncorrelated binary collisions occur in the system. These rates, however, are only correct in the thermodynamic limit for a low density system. In this limit, the Boltzmann equation is valid from which the deterministic theory follows. Thus, there is no reason to attach any physical significance to the differences between the results of the stochastic theory and the deterministic theory.6... 

Chemical kinetics concerns the evolution in time of a system which deviates from equilibrium. The acting driving forces are the gradients of thermodynamic potential functions. Before establishing the behavior and kinetic laws of interfaces, we need to understand some basic interface thermodynamics. The equilibrium interface is characterized by equal and opposite fluxes of components (or building elements) in the direction normal to the boundary. Ternary systems already reflect the general... 

The use of chemical reaction rates in combustion processes is necessary to remedy one deficiency in the study of thermodynamics. The first and second law, which in essence form the basis of thermodynamics, permit the prediction of the transformation of energy from one form to another and the utilization of energy for useful work. They fail to predict the rate at which energy can be transformed or utilized. To introduce the time variable into the thermodynamic system being studied, recourse is made to chemical kinetics. Hence, chemical kinetics is the study of the rate at which various radicals or compounds, usually termed species, appear or disappear. 

In all CVD processes, we are dealing with the change from one state (i.e., the initial, low-temperature reactant gases) to a later one (i.e., the final state with some solid phase and product gases) in time. Since any practical commercial process must be completed quickly, the rate with which one proceeds from the initial to the final state is important. This rate will depend on chemical kinetics (reaction rates) and fluid dynamic transport phenomena. Therefore, in order to clearly understand CVD processes, we will not only examine chemical thermodynamics (Section 1.2), but also kinetics and transport (Section 1.3). 

Full recognition must be given and full account taken of the fact that few chemical transformations of importance in soil solutions go to completion exclusively outside the time domain of their observation at laboratory or field scales. A critical implication of this fact, noted in Section 1.3, is that one must always distinguish carefully between thermodynamic chemical species, sufficient in number and variety to represent the stoichiometry of a chemical transformation between stable states, and kinetic chemical species, required to depict completely the mechanisms of the transformation. 

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