Questions to ponder in Chemistry 126. At this point in the semester you should be able to discuss most of these questions with friends and come up with reasonable answers.

 

  1. What�s so special about a �Boltzmann distribution�?

 

  1. Why is entropy important?

 

  1. Are there situations where entropy is NOT important?

 

  1. What picture do you have in your mind when you think about molecules exchanging energy?

 

  1. What picture do you have in your mind when you think about molecules reacting?

 

  1. When energy goes �into a system� where is it? What is it?

 

  1. Why are heat and temperature sometimes but not always related?

 

  1. Why are temperature and internal energy sometimes but not always related?

 

  1. What�s the difference between internal energy and enthalpy? How much of a difference is there?

 

  1. What�s the difference between �entropy� and �standard entropy�? Why is it important to distinguish between the two?

 

  1. Why is the crossing point of curves on a graph of G vs. T important?

 

  1. Why isn�t there an equilibrium constant for melting/freezing?

 

  1. Why do liquids evaporate at all temperatures? Why do they boil at one particular temperature? How can you predict that temperature?

 

  1. How is energy measured experimentally (in the lab)?

 

  1. What�s the difference between a �reaction� and an �equation�?

 

  1. Why is it critical to associate standard enthalpies of reaction and standard entropies of reaction with specific chemical equations?

 

  1. How are standard enthalpies of reaction and standard entropies of reaction measured experimentally?

 

  1. What do standard enthalpies and standard entropies for reactions tell us about nature?

 

  1. In what way is free energy �free�?

 

  1. What room is there in this theory for the hand of God?