CBI 4: Bimolecular Reactions Flashcards
What can thermodynamics tell us about a reaction and what can it not?
- it tells us whether a reaction proceeds spontaneously
- but it cannot tell us about the rate of reaction
What is thermodynamics?
- thermodynamics focuses on the relative energies of reactants and products in a chemical system and the exchange of energy between that system and the surroundings
What three topics are considered when talking about thermodynamics?
- enthalpy
- entropy
- Gibbs Energy
Define system
- The system is simply the set of (biochemical) reactions and interactions we are interested in studying within a particular boundary
- For example, this might be the reactants and products in a reaction
Define surroundings
- everything else that is outside the system of interest that is in contact with the boundary of the system, usually the rest of the universe
Define boundary
- This is conceptually where the system and the surroundings meet
- the boundary has no effect in the interaction between system and surroundings
Describe an open thermodynamic system
- Both mass and energy can be transferred between the system and surroundings
- e.g. pan of water with no lid on the stove
Describe a closed system
- Only energy (no mass) can be transferred between the system and surroundings
- E.g. pot of water with a lid on the stove
Describe an isolated system
- No mass or energy can be transferred between the system and surroundings
- e.g boiling water placed in a well-insulated sealed vessel
What is the First Law of Thermodynamics?
- energy can neither be created nor destroyed; it can only be transferred or changed from one form to another
Define chemical energy
- a type of potential energy related to chemical bonds
What is thermodynamic temperature?
- an absolute measure of the average total internal energy of an object or objects - namely its kinetic energy plus other contributions from other factors
- units: Kelvin (K)
- it is proportional to the average of all the energies in all the ways in which it is possible for an object to move, known as degrees of freedom
- the more components there are in a complex object, the greater the number of possible motions and degrees of freedom
Define enthalpy
- the internal energy of a system plus the product of pressure and volume
- simply put, it is the total amount of energy (sum of kinetic and chemical potential energy) that a chemical system possesses
What forms can kinetic (heat) energy be in the form of?
- The moving of electrons within an atom
- The vibration of atoms connected by chemical bonds
- The rotation and translation of molecules made up of these atoms
What forms can chemical potential energy be in?
- The covalent and/or ionic bonds between atoms/ions
- The intermolecular forces between molecules
What is bond energy?
- the average amount of energy required (under the gas phase and standard conditions) to break 1 mol of all bonds of the same type within the same chemical species
- units: kJ mol-1
What is enthalpy change?
What happens when deltaH (enthalpy change) is greater than 0?
- an endothermic reaction
- products have a greater chemical potential energy than the reactants
- endothermic reactions require input of heat energy in order to proceed
What happens when deltaH (enthalpy change) is less than 0?
- an exothermic reaction
- reactants have greater chemical potential energy than the products
- they give out heat energy when they proceed
If enthalpy change is negative, will the reactants or products be more stable?
- the products will be more stable
- their total bond enthalpy is greater