Spontaneous reactions worksheet 1

1. What is meant by entropy change? _______________________________________________________

What is the symbol for a change in entropy? _______
2. What is meant by enthalpy change?_______________________________________________________
What is its symbol ?_________
3. What is meant by a change in Gibbs Free Energy?____________________________________________
What is its symbol? _________
4. What formula relates the above three quantities?____________________________________________
5. What is true of Gibbs free energy changes for reactions that proceed spontaneously?
______________________________
6. Do endothermic or exothermic reactions tend to be favored to proceed spontaneously? ____________
Explain why.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
7. Do reactions with increasing randomness or ones with increasing order tend to be favored to proceed
spontaneously? ________________________
Explain. ________________________________________________________________________
8. Exothermic reactions have values of H that are which, negative or positive? __________
What is the sign of H for endothermic reactions? _________
9. Is the value of S positive or negative for a reaction in which products are more random than
reactants? ____________
10. What is the sign (positive or negative) for S in each of the following situations?
a solid melts ___________

gas escapes from a tire _________

a gas condenses to liquid _________

solid crystals dissolve __________

a molecule decomposes into two molecules ______

water is added to a concentrated solution _____

11. For each of the following reactions, decide whether it is favored to proceed spontaneously as written
(put an S for spontaneous). Make separate decisions whether it is favored by the change in enthalpy, or by
the change in entropy.
Is spontaneous reaction favored by.
H?
S?
a)

C8H18(s) + energy C8H18(l)

b)

SO2(g) SO2(l) + energy

c)

H2O(l) + energy H2(g) + O2(g)

d)

NaOH(s) Na+(aq) + OH-(aq) + energy

e)

CH4(g) + 2 O2(g)

f)

2 NaF(s) + energy

g)

6 CO2(g)

CO2(g)

+ 2 H2O(g) + 890 kJ

2 Na(s) + F2(g)

+ 6H2O(l) + 2.8 kJ 6 O2(g) + C6H12O6(aq)

12. Increased temperature tends to magnify the effect of S in the equation G = H - TS.
When the temperature is high enough, the entropy effect will always overpower the enthalpy effect, unless
the entropy change is zero. At low enough temperature the entropy effect will always be minimized, thus
making the enthalpy effect the deciding one. For example, consider a reaction has a positive value of H
(endothermic, so reaction is not favored) and a positive value of S (randomness increases, so reaction is
favored). For such a reaction, at low temperature the enthalpy effect will win out, and the reaction will not
proceed spontaneously, but at high temperature the entropy effect will win out and the reaction will proceed.
Consider the reactions in the preceding question. Place them in the following categories, based on their
enthalpy and entropy characteristics.
(a) Reactions that are more likely to proceed spontaneously at high temperature: ___________________
(b) Reactions that are more likely to proceed spontaneously at low temperature: ____________________
(c) Reactions that will not proceed spontaneously at either low or high temperature; __________________
(d) Reactions that proceed spontaneously at either low or high temperature: ____________________
13. For each of the four categories of reactions above, explain how the equation for the change in Gibbs free
energy helps you decide whether the reaction will proceed at either low or high temperature.

Selected Answers: 1. S 2. H 3. G 4. G = H - TS 5. G is negative 6. Exothermicreactions tend to go toward

lower potential energy 7. Increasing randomnesstoward disorder is natural 8. Negative, positive 9. Positive 10. Pos, pos,
neg, pos, pos, pos 11. (a) no yes (b) yes no (c) no yes (d) yes yes (e) yes neutral (S 0 for this reaction) (f) no yes (g) no
no 12. (a) a,c,f (b) b (c) g (d) d,e 13. (a) In the equation G = H - TS, if H has a positive value, and S has a positive
value, the only way G can be negative (showing spontaneous reaction) is if the value of T is large enough that the product TS is
greater than the value of Hso reaction is spontaneous at high temp but not low.