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Entropy

Entropy

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...

Entropy

Entropy

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...

Entropy and Solvation

Entropy and Solvation

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...

Entropy Change in Reversible Processes

Entropy Change in Reversible Processes

In the Carnot engine, which achieves the maximum efficiency between two reservoirs of fixed temperatures, the total change in entropy is zero. The observation can be generalized by considering any reversible cyclic process consisting of many Carnot cycles. Thus, it can be stated that the total entropy change of any ideal reversible cycle is zero.
The statement can be further generalized to prove that entropy is a state function. Take a cyclic process between any two points on a p-V diagram.

Entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics

Entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics

The second law of thermodynamics can be stated quantitatively using the concept of entropy. Entropy is the measure of disorder of the system.
The relation between entropy and disorder can be illustrated with the example of the phase change of ice to water. In ice, the molecules are located at specific sites giving a solid state, whereas, in a liquid form, these molecules are much freer to move. The molecular arrangement has therefore become more randomized. Although the change in average...

Standard Entropy Change for a Reaction

Standard Entropy Change for a Reaction

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.

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Related Experiment Video

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An Analog Macroscopic Technique for Studying Molecular Hydrodynamic Processes in Dense Gases and Liquids

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Coarse-Grained Model of Entropy-Driven Demixing.

D Gobbo¹, P Ballone^2,3, B D Garabato¹

¹Computational and Chemical Biology, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova 16163, Italy.

The Journal of Physical Chemistry. B

|October 5, 2020

Summary

Entropy-driven demixing transitions in binary fluid mixtures are driven by oscillator frequency changes. This model simplifies complex systems, offering insights into phase separation phenomena.

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Area of Science:

Physical Chemistry
Thermodynamics
Materials Science

Background:

Entropy-driven demixing is crucial in diverse systems like solutions, ionic liquids, polymers, and biosystems.
Understanding phase transitions in mixtures is fundamental to chemistry and materials science.

Purpose of the Study:

To introduce a simple coarse-grained model for studying entropy-driven demixing in binary fluid mixtures.
To explore the physical mechanisms and characteristics of demixing transitions in such models.
To demonstrate the adaptability of the model for quantitative descriptions of real systems.

Main Methods:

Development of a coarse-grained model using Lennard-Jones particles with classical harmonic oscillators.
Simulation of a binary (A and B) fluid mixture where oscillator frequency depends on homo-coordination.
Analysis of phase separation behavior with increasing temperature (T).

Main Results:

The model exhibits entropy-driven demixing, separating into two nearly pure phases as temperature increases.
The demixing is driven by the entropy gain from lowering oscillator frequencies, overcoming energetic and ideal entropy factors.
Characterization of the demixing transition features within the model.

Conclusions:

The proposed coarse-grained model offers a simplified yet effective approach to study complex demixing phenomena.
This model provides a platform for addressing fundamental physical questions regarding phase transitions.
The model's adaptability allows for potential quantitative descriptions of real-world mixtures, incorporating momentum, energy, and entropy.