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Development of a thermal equilibrium in a closed system over time through a heat flow that levels out temperature differences. Two physical systems are in thermal equilibrium if there is no net flow of thermal energy between them when they are connected by a path permeable to heat. Thermal equilibrium obeys the zeroth law of thermodynamics. A ...
For example, quasi-static compression of a system by a piston subject to friction is irreversible; although the system is always in internal thermal equilibrium, the friction ensures the generation of dissipative entropy, which goes against the definition of reversibility. Any engineer would remember to include friction when calculating the ...
In thermodynamics, the thermodynamic free energy is one of the state functions of a thermodynamic system.The change in the free energy is the maximum amount of work that the system can perform in a process at constant temperature, and its sign indicates whether the process is thermodynamically favorable or forbidden.
In solution chemistry and biochemistry, the Gibbs free energy decrease (∂G/∂ξ, in molar units, denoted cryptically by ΔG) is commonly used as a surrogate for (−T times) the global entropy produced by spontaneous chemical reactions in situations where no work is being done; or at least no "useful" work; i.e., other than perhaps ± P dV.
In chemistry, transition state theory (TST) explains the reaction rates of elementary chemical reactions. The theory assumes a special type of chemical equilibrium (quasi-equilibrium) between reactants and activated transition state complexes. [1] TST is used primarily to understand qualitatively how chemical reactions take place.
In chemistry, Le Chatelier's principle (pronounced UK: / l ə ʃ æ ˈ t ɛ l j eɪ / or US: / ˈ ʃ ɑː t əl j eɪ /) [1] is a principle used to predict the effect of a change in conditions on chemical equilibrium. [2] Other names include Chatelier's principle, Braun–Le Chatelier principle, Le Chatelier–Braun principle or the equilibrium ...
For the process to be natural, either (a) work must be done on the system at a finite rate, so that the internal energy of the system increases; the entropy of the system increases even though it is thermally insulated; or (b) the system must do work on the surroundings, which then suffer increase of entropy, as well as gaining energy from the ...
The concept of a transition state has been important in many theories of the rates at which chemical reactions occur. This started with the transition state theory (also referred to as the activated complex theory), developed independently in 1935 by Eyring, Evans and Polanyi, and introduced basic concepts in chemical kinetics that are still used today.