Encaging the Verkade's superbases: thermodynamic and kinetic consequences

A thermodynamic process is a path through a sequence of states that takes a system from an initial state to a final state. In a cyclic process, the system returns to its initial state, so the changes in state properties and state functions (ΔT, Δp, ΔV, ΔU, ΔH) over one complete cycle are zero. However, heat and work transfers can still occur during the cycle, and the net heat and net work over the cycle need not be zero.A reversible process occurs when the system is infinitesimally close to...

Thermodynamic potentials are state functions that are extremely useful in analyzing a thermodynamic system. They have dimensions of energy. The four important thermodynamic potentials are internal energy, enthalpy, Helmholtz free energy, and Gibbs free energy. These thermodynamic potentials can be expressed using two of the following variables: pressure, volume, temperature, and entropy. These two variables are expressed as the rate of change of the thermodynamic potential with respect to other...

A thermodynamic system is a set of objects whose thermodynamic properties are of interest. The system is considered to be embedded in its surroundings or the environment. The system and its environment can exchange heat and do work on each other through a boundary that separates them. However, the immediate surroundings of the system interact with it directly and therefore have a much stronger influence on its behavior and properties.
Consider an example of  tea boiling in a kettle. The tea and...

The effective concentration of a species in a solution can be expressed precisely in terms of its activity. Activity considers the effect of electrolytes present in the vicinity of the species of interest and depends on the ionic strength of the solution. The activity of a species is expressed as the product of molar concentration and the activity coefficient of the species.
The thermodynamic equilibrium constant is more accurately defined in terms of activity rather than concentration.

The law of mass action states that "the rate of a chemical reaction is directly proportional to the product of the molar concentrations of the reactants." It means that the more 'active mass' or 'concentration' of the reactants present, the faster the reaction will proceed.In a chemical reaction, there are forward and reverse reactions. The forward reaction is the process where the reactants combine to form products. The reverse reaction is the process where the products break down to form the...

The second law of thermodynamics can be stated in several different ways, and all of them can be shown to imply the others. The Clausius’ statement of the second law of thermodynamics is based on the irreversibility of spontaneous heat flow. It states that heat will not flow from the colder body to the hotter body unless some other process is involved. Additionally, as per the Kelvin’s statement, it is impossible to convert the heat from a single source into work without any other effect. This...