


Sometimes it can be helpful to determine the temperature when Δ G° = 0 and the process is at equilibrium. If Δ H is positive, and – TΔ S negative, the reaction will be spontaneous at high temperatures (increasing the magnitude of the entropy term). So according to this argument, cyclohexane and oxygen will never form from carbon dioxide and water spontaneously. If Δ H is negative, and – TΔ S positive, the reaction will be spontaneous at low temperatures (decreasing the magnitude of the entropy term). Once you are certain that a reaction is always spontaneous, it is easy to find one that is always non-spontaneous - just swap reactants and products. As shown in Table 18.2 “Spontaneity and the Signs of Enthalpy and Entropy Terms,” the temperature can be the deciding factor in spontaneity when the enthalpy and entropy terms have opposite signs. Since all temperature values are positive in the Kelvin scale, the temperature affects the magnitude of the entropy term. Table 18.2 Spontaneity and the Signs of Enthalpy and Entropy Terms Δ H Depending on the sign and magnitude of each, the sum of these terms determines the sign of Δ G and therefore the spontaneity (Table 18.2 “Spontaneity and the Signs of Enthalpy and Entropy Terms”).
#Spontaneous and non spontaneous reaction free#
If we examine the Gibbs free energy change equation, we can cluster the components to create two general terms, an enthalpy term, Δ H, and an entropy term, – TΔ S.

Organisms often the hydrolysis of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) to generate ADP (adenosine diphosphate) as the spontaneous coupling reaction (Figure 7.7.1 ). The temperature plays an important role in determining the Gibbs free energy and spontaneity of a reaction. This is a common feature in biological systems where some enzyme-catalyzed reactions are interpretable as two coupled half-reactions, one spontaneous and the other non-spontaneous. We have seen how we can calculate the standard change in Gibbs free energy, Δ G°, but not all reactions we are interested in occur at exactly 298 K. In the Gibbs free energy change equation, the only part we as scientists can control is the temperature. A spontaneous process may take place quickly or slowly, because spontaneity is not related to kinetics or reaction rate.
