How do you calculate the Gibbs' free energy of mixing?

1 Answer
Sep 14, 2017

DeltaG_"mix" for an ideal solution is defined as the change in Gibbs' free energy due to mixing two components of the ideal solution together.

For a two-component ideal solution, we have:

color(blue)(DeltaG_"mix") = nRT(chi_1lnchi_1 + chi_2lnchi_2)

= ("6.00 mols" + "2.50 mols")("8.314472 J/mol"cdot"K")("298 K")("6.00 mols"/"8.50 mols" ln ("6.00 mols"/"8.50 mols") + ("2.50 mols")/("8.50 mols")ln("2.50 mols"/"8.50 mols"))

~~ -"12800 J"

~~ color(blue)(-"12.8 kJ")

This confirms that the mixing is spontaneous (as it should be for two nonpolar organic substances).

I derive this result below.


DISCLAIMER: DERIVATION BELOW!

The initial state is the unmixed state, and the final state is the mixed state:

DeltaG_"mix" = sum_i n_i barG_i - sum_i n_i barG_i^"*" = sum_i n_i(barG_i - barG_i^"*"),

where:

  • n_i is the mols of component i.
  • barG_i is the molar Gibbs' free energy of component i mixed.
  • barG_i^"*" is the molar Gibbs' free energy of component i unmixed.

Recall that for a chemical potential mu_i = barG_i, we can write a change away from a standard state in the liquid phase as:

mu_i = mu_i^(@) + int_(P^@)^(P_i) ((delmu_i)/(delP))_TdP

where P^@ = "1 bar" is the standard pressure, and mu_i^(@) is the standard chemical potential for the liquid phase defined at "1 bar" and some temperature T.

The Maxwell Relation for the molar Gibbs' free energy shows:

dmu = dbarG = -barSdT + barVdP

And so,

((delmu_i)/(delP))_T = barV_i

This gives:

mu_i = mu_i^(@) + int_(P^@)^(P_i) barV_idP

The change in chemical potential due to a change in pressure occurs above a liquid, and can reasonably be based on ideal gases. So:

mu_i = mu_i^(@) + RTint_(P^@)^(P_i) 1/P_idP

= mu_i^(@) + RTln(P_i/P^@)

Now, suppose we redefine the standard state to be the pure (unmixed) state of one of two liquid phases.

Then, mu_i^(@) -= mu_i^"*", and P^@ -= P_i^"*", where P_i^"*" is the pure vapor pressure of component i. This gives us the relationship:

mu_i = mu_i^"*" + RTln(P_i/P_i^"*")

= mu_i^"*" + RTlnchi_i

where we used Raoult's law, P_i = chi_iP_i^"*". chi_i is the mol fraction of i, and is understood to be in the liquid phase.

Now, we can plug in this result to obtain DeltaG_"mix":

DeltaG_"mix" = sum_i n_i (mu_i - mu_i^"*")

= RTsum_i n_ilnchi_i

For a two-component solution, we then have:

DeltaG_"mix" = RT(n_1lnchi_1 + n_2lnchi_2)

Now, if we multiply the right-hand side by n/n, where n is the total mols, the change in Gibbs' free energy of mixing is then given by:

color(blue)(DeltaG_"mix" = nRT(chi_1lnchi_1 + chi_2lnchi_2))