Chapter 19: Free Energy and Thermodynamics

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts from the lecture notes on Free Energy and Thermodynamics.

Energy

The capacity to do work or produce heat

Work

The result of a force acting over a distance

Heat

Flow of energy caused by a temperature difference

Kinetic Energy

Energy associated with motion

Thermal Energy

Energy associated with temperature

Potential Energy

Energy associated with the position or composition of an object

Chemical Potential Energy

Energy associated with relative positions of electrons and nuclei in an atom or molecule

Internal Energy

The sum of the kinetic and potential energies of all particles of a system

1st Law of Thermodynamics

Energy cannot be created or destroyed; the energy of the universe is constant

Enthalpy

Heat exchanged during a reaction at constant pressure

State Function

A function or quantity whose value depends only on the state of a system and not on how it got there

Spontaneous Process

A process that occurs without ongoing outside intervention

Non-Spontaneous Process

A process that requires ongoing outside intervention to occur

Entropy (S) (1st)

A measure of randomness or disorder in a system

Entropy (S) (2nd)

A thermodynamic state function that increases with the number of energetically equivalent ways to arrange the components of a system to achieve a particular state

Entropy (S) (3rd)

Describes the number of arrangements that are available to a system existing in a given state.

Macrostate

The specific temperature, pressure, and volume of a balloon

Microstate

The x, y, z position combinations that yield a microstate.

The Second Law of Thermodynamics

For any spontaneous process, the entropy of the universe increases.

Third law of thermodynamics

The entropy of a perfect crystal at 0 K is zero

Exothermic Reaction

Heat generated by system is absorbed by the surroundings

Endothermic Reactions

Heat is lost by the surroundings

Gibbs Free Energy (G)

A thermodynamic state function that combines enthalpy and entropy to determine the spontaneity of a process

Exergonic Reaction

A reaction for which ΔGo rxn < 0

Endergonic Reaction

A reaction for which ΔGo rxn > 0