Bases of Chemical Thermodynamics: Volume 1 - Softcover

I would say that students deserve this text. -- The Journal of Chemical Education,2001,78,1187

The text offers many new and clever derivations of the well-worn equations of chemical thermodynamics. -- The Journal of Chemical Education,2001,78,1187

This text should be on the bookshelf of every serious teacher of thermodynamics. -- The Journal of Chemical Education,2001,78,1187

Chapter 1 Clear statements to characterize systems are given. (Isolated, Closed, Open).
Chapter 2 Work done on a system is related to external forces only.
Chapter 3 Clear statement of the First Law.
Chapter 4
a) Different formulations of the Second Law and how they are related. Most of the statements of the second law in existing books remain fuzzy.
b) Why is entropy a state function? This is usually asserted.
c) A spontaneous irreversible process implies an increase of the entropy of a closed adiabatic system. This statement is usually limited to closed isolated systems.
d) Illustration of the Second Law with examples where everyone already knows the qualitative answers.
Chapter 5
a) Physical meaning of various auxiliary thermodynamic functions. In the appendix, we show the underlying mathematical reasons that render these functions interesting (more developed and more insight than in most books).
b) Definition of chemical potentials, and how they are present in the differential expressions of the various thermodynamic functions.
c) Spontaneity of processes and systems at equilibrium.
Chapter 6
a) Properties of homogeneous functions and how these apply to extensive and intensive variables.
b) We show that chemical potential is an intensive variable.
c) We establish ( and justify) the explicit expressions for the extensive variables U, H, A and G. These results lead to the Gibbs-Duhem equation.
d) Concept of partial molar quantities. How can they be measured?
Chapter 7
a) Chemical potential of an ideal gas.
b) Justification for the expression of the chemical potential of an ideal gas in an ideal gas mixture. This is almost never justified.
c) Van der Waals gas and Joule-Thomson effect are presented.
Chapter 8
a) Expressions from single-phase systems are shown to be valid for multiphase systems. Almost always assumed without the slightest justification.
b) The changes in various thermodynamic functions in the vicinity of a phase change are presented.
Chapter 9
a) How can any variable of reaction be obtained? (many of these variables are not even mentioned in usual textbooks).
b) The various laws that link variables of reactions are presented as well as their variations with temperature.
c) How can chemical energy be transformed into work?
d) Effect of the standard state pressure on the values of tabulated thermodynamic values. (inspired from a paper in the Journal of chemical Education)
Chapter 10
a) Spontaneity of chemical reactions.
b) Chemical potential of pure condensed phases in reactive systems.
c) Independent reactions. ( We only found this topic correctly treated in a Physical Chemistry book).
d) Analysis of multiple phases, multiple species equilibria by examples.
Chapter 11
a) The concept of ideal solution is introduced from experimental observations and mathematical simplicity.
b) Perfect solutions and applications.
Chapter 12 The various conventions for the activity coefficients, why they are needed and how they are related. The resulting different standard states. Azeotropy.
Chapter 13 Basic development including the microcanonical ensemble and the canonical ensemble. Problems present interesting applications.
All of these points are illustrated in the problems and their solutions.