What is entropy and how is it used in chemistry?

Entropy (S) is a measure of disorder in a system. Any process, in this case a chemical reaction, is said to entropically favoured if the overall disorder in the system increases. This is usually when there is a net increase in the number of molecules, or the products of the reaction are in a more disordered state - for example, gas instead of solid. This can be used to find if a reaction is feasible at a given temperature, using Gibbs Free Energy (G), which is found by the equation G=dH-TdS, where dH, dS and T are the enthalpy change, entropy change, and temperature respectively. If the value for G is found to be negative, the reaction will occur spontaneously.

KS
Answered by Kashf S. Chemistry tutor

2511 Views

See similar Chemistry A Level tutors

Related Chemistry A Level answers

All answers ▸

How do I write the full equation of a cell from two half cells? (basic, with matching electron counts and no water/acid)


What is a chiral carbon?


What factors affect ionisation energy and how does each of them affect it?


What is the difference of SN1 and an SN2 mechanism?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

© MyTutorWeb Ltd 2013–2025

Terms & Conditions|Privacy Policy
Cookie Preferences