What does Gibbs free energy mean?

1 Answer
Simon Moore
Jan 19, 2017

Essentially it is a measure of how spontaneously a reaction occurs.

Explanation:

Gibbs free energy can be viewed as a measure of the "spontaneity" of a reaction (does it occur spontaneously, or not?).

It is defined as the enthalpy (H) minus the product of the temperature and entropy (S).

G = H - TS

The Gibbs Free Energy change DeltaG is negative for a spontaneous reaction, and positive for one that is not spontaneous.

DeltaG = DeltaH - TDeltaS

By rearranging the equation for T, and plugging in the various values of DeltaH and DeltaS it is possible to predict at what temperature the reaction becomes spontaneous.

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