How Does Mixing Affect Entropy Calculations in Chemical Reactions?

In summary: Therefore, the use of standard molar entropies is appropriate in this situation, accounting for the mixing effect. In summary, the standard molar entropies take into account the mixing effect in calculating entropy changes in chemical reactions.
  • #1
tomothy
20
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I know this is more of a chemistry question but it's come to this I'm afraid.
When calculating entropy changes in chemical reactions sometimes we students of chemistry use standard molar entropies of the reactants and products. But this surely doesn't account for the mixing effect. e.g.
N2 + 3 H2 --> 2 NH3
calculating the entropy change reaction for this using standard molar entropies would surely yield an entropy change too large because the reactants would in fact start off mixed, thus at a higher entropy than just the N2 and 3 H2 together.
 
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  • #2
tomothy said:
I know this is more of a chemistry question but it's come to this I'm afraid.
When calculating entropy changes in chemical reactions sometimes we students of chemistry use standard molar entropies of the reactants and products. But this surely doesn't account for the mixing effect. e.g.
N2 + 3 H2 --> 2 NH3
calculating the entropy change reaction for this using standard molar entropies would surely yield an entropy change too large because the reactants would in fact start off mixed, thus at a higher entropy than just the N2 and 3 H2 together.
This is not true. The standard entropy change and the standard free energy change are based on the use of a van't Hopf equilibrium box, which inherently includes entropy of mixing.
 

Related to How Does Mixing Affect Entropy Calculations in Chemical Reactions?

1. What is standard molar entropy?

Standard molar entropy is a measure of the amount of disorder or randomness in a substance at standard conditions (25°C and 1 atm of pressure). It is denoted by the symbol S° and has units of Joules per mole per Kelvin (J/mol·K).

2. How is standard molar entropy calculated?

The standard molar entropy of a substance can be calculated using the formula S° = ∆S°(products) - ∆S°(reactants), where ∆S° represents the change in entropy between the products and reactants of a chemical reaction.

3. What factors affect the standard molar entropy of a substance?

The standard molar entropy of a substance is affected by the number of particles present, the complexity of the molecular structure, and the temperature. As the number of particles and complexity increase, the entropy also increases. As temperature increases, the entropy usually increases as well.

4. How does standard molar entropy relate to Gibbs free energy?

Standard molar entropy is one of the factors that determine the Gibbs free energy (G) of a reaction. The formula for Gibbs free energy is G = H - TS, where H is the enthalpy and T is the temperature in Kelvin. As standard molar entropy increases, the value of T*S also increases, making the overall value of G more negative and indicating a more spontaneous reaction.

5. Why is standard molar entropy important in chemistry?

Standard molar entropy is an important concept in chemistry because it helps to predict the spontaneity of reactions and the stability of substances. It also provides insight into the molecular behavior and energy changes in chemical reactions. Additionally, standard molar entropy is used in thermodynamic calculations and can help to determine the most favorable conditions for a reaction to occur.

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