Key Vocabulary
First Law of Thermodynamics: Energy cannot be created nor destroyed but is conserved in any process.
Second Law of Thermodynamics: A statement that tells whether a process can happen spontaneously in one direction and non spontaneously in the other (reverse) direction.
Third Law of Thermodynamics: No system can reach absolute zero.
Entropy: A thermodynamic function of variables such as temperature, pressure, etc., and it's a measure of irregular energies of a system.
Spontaneous Process: A process that is able to go in one direction on its own without any outside help.
Reversible Process: A process that can go back and forth on the same path and can be shifted if the system is at equilibrium.
Irreversible Process: A process that cannot be reversed to put a system and its surroundings back to the way they were.
Isothermal Process: A process that happens at a constant temperature.
Translational Motion: A movement where molecules move in a definite direction.
Vibrational Motion: A movement where atoms in a molecule move periodically towards and away from one another.
Rotational Motion: A movement where molecules are spinning like a spintop.
Microstate: A particularly small position and energy a system is in.
Standard Molar Entropies: Entropy value for a mole of substance in their standard state.
Standard Free Energies of Formation: The change in free energy linked with the formation of a substance under standard conditions.
Gibbs Free Energy: A thermodynamic state function that puts together enthalpy and entropy in the equation G = H - TS and the equation for the change in free energy at constant temperature and pressure is ΔG = ΔH - TΔS.
Second Law of Thermodynamics: A statement that tells whether a process can happen spontaneously in one direction and non spontaneously in the other (reverse) direction.
Third Law of Thermodynamics: No system can reach absolute zero.
Entropy: A thermodynamic function of variables such as temperature, pressure, etc., and it's a measure of irregular energies of a system.
Spontaneous Process: A process that is able to go in one direction on its own without any outside help.
Reversible Process: A process that can go back and forth on the same path and can be shifted if the system is at equilibrium.
Irreversible Process: A process that cannot be reversed to put a system and its surroundings back to the way they were.
Isothermal Process: A process that happens at a constant temperature.
Translational Motion: A movement where molecules move in a definite direction.
Vibrational Motion: A movement where atoms in a molecule move periodically towards and away from one another.
Rotational Motion: A movement where molecules are spinning like a spintop.
Microstate: A particularly small position and energy a system is in.
Standard Molar Entropies: Entropy value for a mole of substance in their standard state.
Standard Free Energies of Formation: The change in free energy linked with the formation of a substance under standard conditions.
Gibbs Free Energy: A thermodynamic state function that puts together enthalpy and entropy in the equation G = H - TS and the equation for the change in free energy at constant temperature and pressure is ΔG = ΔH - TΔS.