Energetics and Equilibria Flashcards
(156 cards)
what (in informal terms) is a spontaneous process
- one which occurs ‘naturally’ or on its own
- the reverse of a spontaneous process requires some intervention
explain why exothermicity is not the condition for spontaneous reactions
- there are some endothermic processes which are spontaneous e.g. NH4NO3 dissolving in water
- or the mixing of inert gases has no energy change
what is the actual definition for what makes a spontaneous process
- In a spontaneous process the entropy of the universe increases
what is entropy? what are the two ways of considering it
- Entropy is a measure of disorder or randomness
- it can be analysed in a statistical thermodynamics way using energy levels in molecules/atoms relating to translational, vibrational and electronic energies
- it can also be analysed in a classical way using the heat changes during a reaction
explain how energy levels can be used to help determine entropy (in the molecular interpretation)
- Molecules have quantised energy levels, each molecule has a set of energy levels associated with translation, rotation, vibration and electronic structure
- in a macroscopic sample (e.g. 10^20 atoms) there are many many ways for the molecules to distribute themselves over the energy levels
- this can be analysed using statistical thermodynamics
assuming we have x energy levels and N atoms, what is the total number of ways each configuration of energy distributions can be achieved
W = number of ways a given energy distribution can be achieved
N = number of atoms
n0 = number of atoms in energy level 0
n1 = number of atoms in energy level 1
nx = number of atoms in energy level x
W = N! / (no! n1! n2! ….. nx!)
what assumption can be made about the likelihood of each configuration and what does this tell us about which configuration we’ll get
- we can assume the system has no preference for one configuration over another, i.e. we can imagine as the molecules collide and move they are constantly changing between configurations
- this means the most likely configuration we’ll see is the configuration with the greatest W number
- this configuration is called the ‘most probable distribution’
- as the number of particles becomes very large, this most probable config. becomes overwhelmingly more probable
How do you find the most probable distribution, what is the outcome of this i.e. what is the Boltzmann Distribution
- to find the most probable distribution you must maximise W for a given total number of particles and energy (beyond scope of IA)
- the outcome is the Boltzmann distribution
- in the most probable distribution, the population of level i, ni which has energy Ei, is given by
ni = no e^(-ei/kT)
k = Boltzmann constant
T = temp
R = NA K
NA = Avogadro’s number
what can we say (using the Boltzmann distribution) about populations where the energy of the energy level is much greater than kT or similar/less
- where the energy of the energy level is much greater than kT, the population becomes vanishingly small
- where the energy of the energy level is comparable (or less than) kT, the population is significant
Give the equation linking entropy and W,
S = k ln(W)
i.e. the greater the number of ways a distribution can be achieved, the greater the entropy of the system
what effect does heating the system have on W and S
- When energy as heat is supplied to the system, the energy is accommodated by some of the molecules moving up to higher energy levels
- this makes the molecules more spread out over the energy levels
- hence there are more wats of achieving the resultant distribution (W increases)
- Hence entropy, S, increases
what effect does expanding the system have on W and S
- Quantum mechanics tells us that as the system is expanded, the spacing of the translational energy levels decreases
- Hence there are more energy levels ‘within reach’ of kT
- So the molecules are distributed over more levels and W is increased
- Thus S also increases
- Increasing vol increases entropy
what effect do physical transformations have on W and S
- a physical transformation such as solid –> liquid/gas is associated with a large increase in number of energy levels available to the system
- in a liquid/gas the molecules are free to translate so they have access to a larger number of translational energy levels
- so W is larger
- so S increases
what effect does changing temperature have on W and S
- supplying energy to a system in the form of heat increases entropy
- But specifically, for the same amount of ‘heat energy’ added to a system, the entropy increase is greater for a colder system than a hotter one
- i.e. the increase in entropy resulting from a certain amount of heat energy being added is greater the cooler the system is
what is the classical definition of entropy
if an object at a temperature T absorbs a small amount of energy δqrev under reversible conditions then the change in entropy dS is given by
dS = δq(rev) / T
NOTE: we cannot PROVE this is correct but it agrees with all observations (as is the case with all physical theories)
what are some features of the classical definition of entropy which ‘agree’ with the statistical definition
- supplying energy increases entropy: if delta(qrev) > 0 then energy is being supplied, this means for a finite temperature dS > 0 so entropy increases
- the classical definition also suggests dS is inversely proportional to temperature, i.e. for the same change in energy but at a higher temperature, entropy increases less, as expected from before
how do we split up the universe in terms of the second law of thermodynamics
- The system, this is the thing that we’re interested in
- the surroundings, this is the rest of the universe
what is the general expression for the entropy change of the universe in terms of system/surroundings
deltaSuniv = deltaSsys + deltaSsurr
how can we calculate the entropy change of the system
-entropy is a property of matter, hence deltaSsys can be calculated from tabulated values of the entropies of substances
What is meant by a closed system in thermodynamics, what is the result of this
A closed system in thermodynamics means matter cannot be exchanged between the system and the surroundings
However, energy as heat can be exchanged
this means deltaSsurr can be calculated directly from
dS = deltaqrev / T
why can we consider any heat exchange as reversible (from the point of view of the surroundings), what does this mean we can use to calculate deltaSsurr
- the surroundings are so large that neither their temperature nor volume are affected by the flow of energy as heat into or out of it
deltaSsurr = qsurr/Tsurr
qsurr = energy as heat absorbed by surroundings
Tsurr = temperature of surroundings
what assumptions/conclusions can we make to simplify the equation for deltaSsurr
- any heat lost by the system is absorbed by the surroundings and vice versa, hence qsurr = -qsys
- we can assume the system and surroundings are at thermal equilibrium Tsys = Tsurr
hence
deltaSsurr = -qsys / Tsys
using the ‘simplified’ equation for deltaSsurr, how can we calculate the entropy change of the universe
deltaSuniv = deltaSsys - qsys/Tsys
what happens at deltaSuniv = 0 and how can we calculate the temperature at which this occurs, i.e. the critical temperature
deltaSuniv = 0
implies
-deltaSsurr = deltaSsys
so
T = qsys/deltaSsys