ABSTRACT
Although the topic of this book is on kinetics, we consider it appropriate to include a short chapter on chemical thermodynamics, which is the branch of thermodynamics that studies how chemical reactions come to equilibrium. The reason to do this is that thermodynamics and kinetics are complementary to the study of chemical reactions. Thermodynamic parameters are also used in the formulation of chemical kinetics, as we shall see later on in this book. Thermodynamics is, in short, the science of conversion of energy and matter. Reversible thermodynamics makes statements about systems in equilibrium, and gives an answer to the question: what drives chemical reactions toward equilibrium or to completion? Reversible thermodynamics is reasonably established by now. In contrast, irreversible thermodynamics, which makes statements on processes and systems that are not in equilibrium, is still debated. Most of this chapter will be on reversible thermodynamics, with some remarks about irreversible thermodynamics at the end of the chapter. Irreversible thermodynamics makes a nice link to kinetics. Kinetics gives an answer to the question, how does it happen and at what rate, and that will be addressed in subsequent chapters.
