A2-Level Enthalpy and Entropy
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The standard entropy of a substance refers to the entropy of that substance measured in standard conditions (temperature of 298K and a pressure of 101Kpa).
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Units for standard entropy are JK mol
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A substance has different entropies depending upon its state and the conditions it is in.
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Water has a low entropy below 0°C (as it’s a solid), but a high entropy at over 100°C (as it’s a gas).
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Standard entropies, So, enable the entropies of different substances to be compared and the overall entropy change that occurs in a reaction can be found.
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Entropy change, ∆S = (sum of standard entropies of products) – (sum of standard entropies of reactants)
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QUICK NOTES
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Calculating Entropy Change
If entropy is a way of measuring disorder, then that means every substance has its own value of entropy. For example, the particles in solid sodium chloride have a low entropy, as they are in a fixed position and have little room to move. The particles in a sample of chlorine gas, however, are not in a fixed position and can be very disordered – chlorine would be described here as having a high entropy.
The problem with describing a substance’s entropy is that entropy changes with temperature. This means that the entropy of a given substance will change if we change the temperature. Think about simple kinetic theory – the more energy you give a substance, the more the particles move. More movement of particles means more disorder, thus a higher level of entropy.
Solid water (ice) has a very low entropy; gaseous water (steam) has a very high entropy. In both cases the particles are still water! The substance is the same chemically, but the temperature change has caused a change in state and entropy. This means we need a ‘standard’ temperature and pressure to describe the entropy of a particular substance.
Standard conditions = 298 K, 101 kPa
Under standard conditions, water is a liquid and the standard entropy of water refers to the entropy content of 1 mole of water at 298 K and 101 kPa – ‘the standard entropy of H O’.
By using the standard entropies (S ) of substances, we can calculate the change of entropy in a reaction.
Values taken from
One important thing to consider here is that standard entropies have units of J K mol . This becomes important when using entropy values alongside enthalpy values (the standard units for enthalpies are kJ mol ). See ‘Free Energy’.
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