What is the significance of the Gibbs free energy in thermodynamics?
Practice Questions
Q1
What is the significance of the Gibbs free energy in thermodynamics?
It predicts the direction of spontaneous processes
It measures the heat content of a system
It defines the equilibrium constant
It relates pressure and volume
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
What is the significance of the Gibbs free energy in thermodynamics?
Step 1: Understand what Gibbs free energy (G) is. It is a measure of the energy available to do work in a system at constant temperature and pressure.
Step 2: Learn about the change in Gibbs free energy (ΔG). This is the difference in Gibbs free energy between the products and reactants of a reaction.
Step 3: Know the significance of ΔG. If ΔG is less than 0 (ΔG < 0), it means the reaction can happen spontaneously without needing extra energy.
Step 4: If ΔG is greater than 0 (ΔG > 0), the reaction is non-spontaneous and will not occur on its own.
Step 5: Remember that Gibbs free energy helps predict whether a reaction will happen and how much energy is available for work.
