In
chemistry
Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...
, the standard molar entropy is the
entropy
Entropy is a scientific concept, most commonly associated with states of disorder, randomness, or uncertainty. The term and the concept are used in diverse fields, from classical thermodynamics, where it was first recognized, to the micros ...
content of one
mole of pure substance at a
standard state
The standard state of a material (pure substance, mixture or solution) is a reference point used to calculate its properties under different conditions. A degree sign (°) or a superscript ⦵ symbol (⦵) is used to designate a thermodynamic q ...
of pressure and any temperature of interest. These are often (but not necessarily) chosen to be the
standard temperature and pressure
Standard temperature and pressure (STP) or standard conditions for temperature and pressure are various standard sets of conditions for experimental measurements used to allow comparisons to be made between different sets of data. The most used ...
.
The standard molar entropy at pressure =
is usually given the symbol , and has units of
joule
The joule ( , or ; symbol: J) is the unit of energy in the International System of Units (SI). In terms of SI base units, one joule corresponds to one kilogram- metre squared per second squared One joule is equal to the amount of work d ...
s per
mole per
kelvin
The kelvin (symbol: K) is the base unit for temperature in the International System of Units (SI). The Kelvin scale is an absolute temperature scale that starts at the lowest possible temperature (absolute zero), taken to be 0 K. By de ...
(J⋅mol
−1⋅K
−1). Unlike
standard enthalpies of formation, the value of is absolute. That is, an element in its standard state has a definite, nonzero value of at
room temperature
Room temperature, colloquially, denotes the range of air temperatures most people find comfortable indoors while dressed in typical clothing. Comfortable temperatures can be extended beyond this range depending on humidity, air circulation, and ...
. The entropy of a pure
crystalline
A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macrosc ...
structure can be 0J⋅mol
−1⋅K
−1 only at 0K, according to the
third law of thermodynamics
The third law of thermodynamics states that the entropy of a closed system at thermodynamic equilibrium approaches a constant value when its temperature approaches absolute zero. This constant value cannot depend on any other parameters characte ...
. However, this assumes that the material forms a '
perfect crystal' without any
residual entropy. This can be due to
crystallographic defect
A crystallographic defect is an interruption of the regular patterns of arrangement of atoms or molecules in Crystal, crystalline solids. The positions and orientations of particles, which are repeating at fixed distances determined by the Crysta ...
s,
dislocations
In materials science, a dislocation or Taylor's dislocation is a linear crystallographic defect or irregularity within a crystal structure that contains an abrupt change in the arrangement of atoms. The movement of dislocations allow atoms to sli ...
, and/or incomplete rotational quenching within the solid, as originally pointed out by
Linus Pauling
Linus Carl Pauling ( ; February 28, 1901August 19, 1994) was an American chemist and peace activist. He published more than 1,200 papers and books, of which about 850 dealt with scientific topics. ''New Scientist'' called him one of the 20 gre ...
. These contributions to the entropy are always present, because crystals always grow at a finite rate and at temperature. However, the residual entropy is often quite negligible and can be accounted for when it occurs using
statistical mechanics
In physics, statistical mechanics is a mathematical framework that applies statistical methods and probability theory to large assemblies of microscopic entities. Sometimes called statistical physics or statistical thermodynamics, its applicati ...
.
Thermodynamics
If a
mole of a solid substance is a perfectly ordered solid at 0K, then if the solid is warmed by its surroundings to 298.15K without melting, its absolute molar entropy would be the sum of a series of stepwise and reversible entropy changes. The limit of this sum as
becomes an integral:
:
In this example,
and
is the
molar heat capacity at a constant pressure of the substance in the
reversible process . The molar heat capacity is not constant during the experiment because it changes depending on the (increasing) temperature of the substance. Therefore, a table of values for
is required to find the total molar entropy. The quantity
represents the ratio of a very small exchange of heat energy to the temperature . The total molar entropy is the sum of many small changes in molar entropy, where each small change can be considered a reversible process.
Chemistry
The standard molar entropy of a gas at
STP includes contributions from:
* The
heat capacity
Heat capacity or thermal capacity is a physical property of matter, defined as the amount of heat to be supplied to an object to produce a unit change in its temperature. The SI unit of heat capacity is joule per kelvin (J/K).
Heat capacity is a ...
of one mole of the solid from 0K to the
melting point
The melting point (or, rarely, liquefaction point) of a substance is the temperature at which it changes state of matter, state from solid to liquid. At the melting point the solid and liquid phase (matter), phase exist in Thermodynamic equilib ...
(including heat absorbed in any changes between different
crystal structure
In crystallography, crystal structure is a description of ordered arrangement of atoms, ions, or molecules in a crystalline material. Ordered structures occur from intrinsic nature of constituent particles to form symmetric patterns that repeat ...
s).
* The
latent heat of fusion of the solid.
* The heat capacity of the liquid from the melting point to the
boiling point
The boiling point of a substance is the temperature at which the vapor pressure of a liquid equals the pressure surrounding the liquid and the liquid changes into a vapor.
The boiling point of a liquid varies depending upon the surrounding envi ...
.
* The
latent heat of vaporization of the liquid.
* The heat capacity of the gas from the boiling point to room temperature.
Changes in entropy are associated with
phase transitions
In physics, chemistry, and other related fields like biology, a phase transition (or phase change) is the physical process of transition between one state of a medium and another. Commonly the term is used to refer to changes among the basic Sta ...
and
chemical reactions
A chemical reaction is a process that leads to the chemical transformation of one set of chemical substances to another. When chemical reactions occur, the atoms are rearranged and the reaction is accompanied by an energy change as new products ...
.
Chemical equations make use of the standard molar entropy of
reactants and
products to find the standard entropy of reaction:
:
The standard entropy of reaction helps determine whether the reaction will take place
spontaneously. According to the
second law of thermodynamics
The second law of thermodynamics is a physical law based on Universal (metaphysics), universal empirical observation concerning heat and Energy transformation, energy interconversions. A simple statement of the law is that heat always flows spont ...
, a spontaneous reaction always results in an increase in total entropy of the system and its surroundings:
:
Molar entropy is not the same for all gases. Under identical conditions, it is greater for a heavier gas.
See also
*
Entropy
Entropy is a scientific concept, most commonly associated with states of disorder, randomness, or uncertainty. The term and the concept are used in diverse fields, from classical thermodynamics, where it was first recognized, to the micros ...
*
Heat
In thermodynamics, heat is energy in transfer between a thermodynamic system and its surroundings by such mechanisms as thermal conduction, electromagnetic radiation, and friction, which are microscopic in nature, involving sub-atomic, ato ...
*
Gibbs free energy
In thermodynamics, the Gibbs free energy (or Gibbs energy as the recommended name; symbol is a thermodynamic potential that can be used to calculate the maximum amount of Work (thermodynamics), work, other than Work (thermodynamics)#Pressure–v ...
*
Helmholtz free energy
In thermodynamics, the Helmholtz free energy (or Helmholtz energy) is a thermodynamic potential that measures the useful work obtainable from a closed thermodynamic system at a constant temperature ( isothermal). The change in the Helmholtz ene ...
*
Standard state
The standard state of a material (pure substance, mixture or solution) is a reference point used to calculate its properties under different conditions. A degree sign (°) or a superscript ⦵ symbol (⦵) is used to designate a thermodynamic q ...
*
Third law of thermodynamics
The third law of thermodynamics states that the entropy of a closed system at thermodynamic equilibrium approaches a constant value when its temperature approaches absolute zero. This constant value cannot depend on any other parameters characte ...
References
{{reflist
External links
Table of Standard Thermodynamic Properties for Selected Substances
Chemical properties
Thermodynamic entropy
Molar quantities