Thermodynamic Reaction Lab

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Determination of thermodynamic values allows for analysis of what makes a reaction spontaneous. In this experiment, the equilibrium constant of the crystallization of potassium nitrate as it ionized in water was found and used to determine enthalpy, entropy, and Gibb’s Free Energy of a reaction. The variables were found by by graphing the solubility of potassium nitrate as a function of time and by utilizing relationships based on the van’t Hoff equation. Based on the determined Ksp of 43.4 the average Gibb’s Free Energy over on six trials was -8.4834 kJ/mol with a 510 % error. Relations based on the graph of ln(k) vs. 1/T(K) showed the enthalpy of the reaction to be +34.78 kJ/mol yielding a 2.30% error, and showed the entropy to be +137.4 …show more content…

In a given reaction, the total amount energy in a reaction that can be used to do work is expressed as ∆G, or Gibb’s Free Energy. A negative value would indicate energy is produced in the reaction and available to the surroundings. This would create a spontaneous reaction as the disorder of the universe would increase.2 One important factor in determining the Gibb’s Free Energy of a reaction is the equilibrium constant.
This experiment analyzes the following reversible reaction of potassium nitrate dissolving into potassium and nitrate ions. Reversible reactions reach a specific equilibrium where the forward and reverse reactions are occurring at an equal rate causing the ratio of products to reactants to appear constant. The formula for the equilibrium constant is written …show more content…

In the above reaction, a larger K value would indicate higher solubility as more ions are present in solution. Gibbs and the equilibrium constant are related based on the equation, ΔG° = -RT ln K.
As K gets larger Gibb’s becomes more negative showing increased spontaneity.1 The values that determine the Gibb’s Free Energy value are enthalpy and entropy. A relationship can be seen based on the Gibbs-Helmholtz equation where:
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The entropy (∆S) is the measure of a given reaction’s disorder. If the reaction moves forward and becomes more disordered, it is considered to have a positive entropy. In the ionization of potassium nitrate, the disorder of the reactants, solid, is less than the disorder of the products, aqueous. The enthalpy of a reaction (∆H) represents the energy difference between the potassium nitrate salt and its ions. A positive ∆H indicates the reaction is endothermic and absorbs heat to create products. Adding more heat to a reaction with a positive enthalpy would cause the reaction to shift right, increasing spontaneity and decreasing the Gibbs free

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