Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Entropy02:39

Entropy

35.0K
Salt particles that have dissolved in water never spontaneously come back together in solution to reform solid particles. Moreover, a gas that has expanded in a vacuum remains dispersed and never spontaneously reassembles. The unidirectional nature of these phenomena is the result of a thermodynamic state function called entropy (S). Entropy is the measure of the extent to which the energy is dispersed throughout a system, or in other words, it is proportional to the degree of disorder of a...
35.0K
Entropy01:18

Entropy

3.5K
The first law of thermodynamics is quantitatively formulated via an equation relating the internal energy of a system, the heat exchanged by it, and the work done on it. A quantitative formulation of the second law of thermodynamics leads to defining a state function, the entropy.
When an ideal gas expands isothermally, the disorder in the gas increases. From the molecular perspective, the gas molecules have more volume to move around in.
Consider an infinitesimal step in the expansion, which...
3.5K
Standard Entropy Change for a Reaction03:00

Standard Entropy Change for a Reaction

24.0K
Entropy is a state function, so the standard entropy change for a chemical reaction (ΔS°rxn) can be calculated from the difference in standard entropy between the products and the reactants.
24.0K
Nuclear Stability03:18

Nuclear Stability

22.9K
Protons and neutrons, collectively called nucleons, are packed together tightly in a nucleus. With a radius of about 10−15 meters, a nucleus is quite small compared to the radius of the entire atom, which is about 10−10 meters. Nuclei are extremely dense compared to bulk matter, averaging 1.8 × 1014 grams per cubic centimeter. If the earth’s density were equal to the average nuclear density, the earth’s radius would be only about 200 meters.
To hold positively charged protons together...
22.9K
Entropy and Solvation02:05

Entropy and Solvation

8.3K
The process of surrounding a solute with solvent is called solvation. It involves evenly distributing the solute within the solvent. The rule of thumb for determining a solvent for a given compound is that like dissolves like. A good solvent has molecular characteristics similar to those of the compound to be dissolved. For example, polar solutions dissolve polar solutes, and apolar solvents dissolve apolar solutes. A polar solvent is a solvent that has a high dielectric constant (ϵ...
8.3K
Entropy within the Cell01:22

Entropy within the Cell

12.7K
A living cell's primary tasks of obtaining, transforming, and using energy to do work may seem simple. However, the second law of thermodynamics explains why these tasks are harder than they appear. None of the energy transfers in the universe are completely efficient. In every energy transfer, some amount of energy is lost in a form that is unusable. In most cases, this form is heat energy. Thermodynamically, heat energy is defined as the energy transferred from one system to another that...
12.7K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Intraoperative dexamethasone and risk of postoperative infection after cesarean delivery: a retrospective cohort study.

International journal of obstetric anesthesia·2026
Same author

Reentrant Landau levels in a Dirac topological insulator.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

Many-body interference in kagome crystals.

Nature·2025
Same author

Superconducting gap of H<sub>3</sub>S measured by tunnelling spectroscopy.

Nature·2025
Same author

Complete field-induced spectral response of the spin-1/2 triangular-lattice antiferromagnet CsYbSe<sub>2</sub>.

npj quantum materials·2024
Same author

Radio frequency electrical resistance measurement under destructive pulsed magnetic fields.

The Review of scientific instruments·2023
Same journal

Chlorinated VSLSs Surpass HCFCs in CFC-11-Equivalent Emissions for Ozone Layer Depletion in China.

Nature communications·2026
Same journal

Author Correction: Charge transfer in triphenylamine-tetrazine covalent organic frameworks for solar-driven hydrogen peroxide production.

Nature communications·2026
Same journal

Vegetation browning patterns under compound soil and atmospheric dryness in northern permafrost ecosystems.

Nature communications·2026
Same journal

Voltage imaging of CA1 pyramidal cells and SST+ interneurons reveals stability and plasticity mechanisms of spatial firing.

Nature communications·2026
Same journal

Radical-omics reveals the hydrogen-abstraction pathway of isoprene oxidation.

Nature communications·2026
Same journal

Toughening elastomer via sequentially activated multi-pathway energy dissipation.

Nature communications·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 22, 2026

Bulk and Thin Film Synthesis of Compositionally Variant Entropy-stabilized Oxides
09:41

Bulk and Thin Film Synthesis of Compositionally Variant Entropy-stabilized Oxides

Published on: May 29, 2018

10.0K

Phase stabilization by electronic entropy in plutonium.

N Harrison1, J B Betts2, M R Wartenbe2

  • 1Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, Mail Stop E536, Los Alamos, NM, 87545, USA. nharrison@lanl.gov.

Nature Communications
|July 20, 2019
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Scientists uncovered the thermodynamic mechanism behind plutonium

More Related Videos

Using Wavelet Entropy to Demonstrate how Mindfulness Practice Increases Coordination between Irregular Cerebral and Cardiac Activities
08:08

Using Wavelet Entropy to Demonstrate how Mindfulness Practice Increases Coordination between Irregular Cerebral and Cardiac Activities

Published on: May 10, 2017

15.2K
Applications of EEG Neuroimaging Data: Event-related Potentials, Spectral Power, and Multiscale Entropy
11:15

Applications of EEG Neuroimaging Data: Event-related Potentials, Spectral Power, and Multiscale Entropy

Published on: June 27, 2013

34.4K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jan 22, 2026

Bulk and Thin Film Synthesis of Compositionally Variant Entropy-stabilized Oxides
09:41

Bulk and Thin Film Synthesis of Compositionally Variant Entropy-stabilized Oxides

Published on: May 29, 2018

10.0K
Using Wavelet Entropy to Demonstrate how Mindfulness Practice Increases Coordination between Irregular Cerebral and Cardiac Activities
08:08

Using Wavelet Entropy to Demonstrate how Mindfulness Practice Increases Coordination between Irregular Cerebral and Cardiac Activities

Published on: May 10, 2017

15.2K
Applications of EEG Neuroimaging Data: Event-related Potentials, Spectral Power, and Multiscale Entropy
11:15

Applications of EEG Neuroimaging Data: Event-related Potentials, Spectral Power, and Multiscale Entropy

Published on: June 27, 2013

34.4K

Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Thermodynamics
  • Solid-state Physics

Background:

  • Plutonium metal exhibits a significant 25% volume collapse between its delta (δ-Pu) and alpha (α-Pu) phases.
  • The thermodynamic driving forces behind this volume change in plutonium have not been fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the thermodynamic mechanism responsible for the anomalous volume change in plutonium.
  • To identify and quantify the electronic contribution to the entropy of the delta phase of plutonium.

Main Methods:

  • Magnetostriction measurements were employed to probe electronic contributions.
  • Calorimetry measurements were utilized to establish thermodynamic relationships.

Main Results:

  • A substantial electronic entropy contribution to the stabilization of the delta phase (δ-Pu) was identified.
  • Two competing instabilities within the 5f-electron shell were shown to influence plutonium's volume.
  • A thermodynamic link was established between excitation energies, atomic volume, and δ-Pu entropy.

Conclusions:

  • The electronic entropy, driven by 5f-electron shell instabilities, is crucial for stabilizing the δ-Pu phase.
  • This research clarifies the thermodynamic mechanism behind plutonium's significant volume collapse.