Not all processes in which the system increases in entropy...

Name: Problem 119, Chapter 18: Chemistry: Structure and Properties
Uploaded: 2019-12-29T04:25:36-08:00
Duration: 1 min 55 s
Channel: Aadit Sharma
Description: Not all processes in which the system increases in entropy are spontaneous. How can this observation be consistent with the second law? Provide an example and explain your answer in complete sentences.

Not all processes in which the system increases in entropy are spontaneous. How can this observation be consistent with the second law? Provide an example and explain your answer in complete sentences.

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Key Concepts

System Versus Surroundings

Key to understanding thermodynamic spontaneity is the distinction between the system and its surroundings. Processes are often analyzed by separating these two regions; while the system might exhibit an increase in disorder, the accompanying changes in the surroundings (such as heat removal or energy input) must be taken into account to determine if the overall entropy of the universe increases.

Second Law of Thermodynamics

This fundamental law states that for any process occurring in an isolated system (or the universe as a whole), the total entropy must increase or, at best, remain the same. It emphasizes that spontaneity is determined not by the entropy change of a part of the system alone, but by the overall change in entropy when the system and its surroundings are considered together.

Entropy Change of the Universe

The second law centers on the net entropy change of the universe, which includes both the system and its surroundings. A process may cause the entropy of a system to increase, yet if it simultaneously produces a larger decrease in the entropy of the surroundings—perhaps by consuming energy or requiring external work—the total entropy change can be negative, rendering the process non-spontaneous.

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