Thermodynamics
In its most elementary sense, Thermodynamics may be defined as: 1: You can't win (First Law of Thermodynamics) 2: You can't break even (Second Law of Thermodynamics) 3: You can't get out of the game (Third Law of Thermodynamics). This series of lessons immerses the student in chemical thermodynamics.
Spontaneity
Upon concluding this section, the pupil shall be empowered to: Distinguish with precision between those processes which are spontaneous and those which are non-spontaneous in nature. Expound upon the dispersal of matter and energy which invariably attends specific spontaneous phenomena.
Entropy
Upon the completion of this discourse, the pupil shall be equipped to: Provide a formal definition of the property known as entropy. Elucidate the fundamental relationship existing between entropy and the total number of microstates within a system.Determine by prediction the sign of entropy change as it pertains to both chemical transmutations and physical transitions.
The Second and Third Laws of Thermodynamics
Upon the conclusion of this chapter, the pupil shall be prepared to: Enunciate and provide a full exposition of the Second and Third Laws of Thermodynamics, specifically as they pertain to the inexorable increase of disorder. Compute with exactitude the entropy changes occurring during phase transitions and chemical reactions, assuming standard states and conditions.
Free Energy
Upon the successful completion of this discourse, the pupil shall be empowered to: Provide a formal definition of the property known as Gibbs Free Energy ($G$), and expound upon its fundamental relation to the spontaneity of chemical change. Compute with exactitude the free energy change for a given process, utilizing the standard free energies of formation for both reactants and products. Calculate the free energy change for a process by judicious use of the enthalpies of formation and the entropies of the constituent reactants and products. Elucidate the manner in which the factor of temperature exerts its influence upon the spontaneity of diverse chemical phenomena. Establish the formal relation between standard free energy changes and the equilibrium constants governing reversible reactions.