CHEM 1001 Chapter Notes - Chapter 19: Dimensionless Quantity, Standard Molar Entropy, Boltzmann Equation
2 Oct 2016
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Document Summary
A spontaneous process is a process that occurs in a system left to itself; once started, no action from outside the system (external action) is necessary to make the process continue. Conversely, a nonspontaneous process will not occur unless some external action is continuously applied. Nonspontaneous processes require the system to be acted on by an external agent: some spontaneous processes occur very slowly and others occur rather rapidly. For example, the melting of an ice cube that has been dropped into cold water at 1 c is a spontaneous process that occurs slowly. The melting of an ice cube that has been dropped into hot water at. 99 c is a spontaneous process that occurs rapidly. The main point is that spontaneous does not mean fast. For chemical systems, the property analogous to the potential energy of a mechanical system is the internal energy (u) or the closely related property enthalpy (h).
