Gibbs Free Energy: Why Must It Be >0 for Reaction?

In summary, Gibbs Free Energy is a thermodynamic quantity that measures the amount of energy available in a system to do useful work at a constant temperature and pressure. It is important because it helps us predict whether a reaction will occur spontaneously or not, and the maximum amount of work that can be obtained from a reaction. For a reaction to occur spontaneously, the Gibbs Free Energy must be negative, indicating that the reaction is exergonic and releases energy. Enthalpy and entropy are the two main factors that affect Gibbs Free Energy. At equilibrium, the change in Gibbs Free Energy is equal to zero, meaning that the energy released by the reaction is equal to the energy required to reverse the reaction, resulting in a net change of zero.
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asdf1
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Why must Gibbs Free Energy >0 for a reaction to occur?
 
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asdf1 said:
Why must Gibbs Free Energy >0 for a reaction to occur?
Have a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibbs_free_energy" [Broken]which explains the origin of the concept of Gibbs Free Energy. If the Gibbs Free energy is less than 0, the reaction will not result in heat being available to do useful work.

AM
 
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thank you!
 

What is Gibbs Free Energy?

Gibbs Free Energy is a thermodynamic quantity that measures the amount of energy available in a system to do useful work at a constant temperature and pressure.

Why is Gibbs Free Energy important?

Gibbs Free Energy is important because it helps us predict whether a reaction will occur spontaneously or not. It also tells us the maximum amount of work that can be obtained from a reaction.

Why must Gibbs Free Energy be greater than zero for a reaction to occur?

A reaction will only occur spontaneously if the Gibbs Free Energy is negative, indicating that the reaction is exergonic and releases energy. If the Gibbs Free Energy is positive, the reaction will not occur spontaneously and would require an input of energy to proceed.

What factors affect Gibbs Free Energy?

The two main factors that affect Gibbs Free Energy are enthalpy and entropy. Enthalpy is the heat content of a system, while entropy is the measure of disorder or randomness in a system.

How is Gibbs Free Energy related to equilibrium?

The change in Gibbs Free Energy for a reaction at equilibrium is equal to zero. This means that at equilibrium, the amount of energy released by the reaction is equal to the energy required to reverse the reaction, resulting in a net change of zero.

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