Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface to second edition
- Preface to first edition
- 1 Basic concepts of thermodynamics
- 2 Manipulation of thermodynamic quantities
- 3 Systems with variable composition
- 4 Practical handling of multicomponent systems
- 5 Thermodynamics of processes
- 6 Stability
- 7 Applications of molar Gibbs energy diagrams
- 8 Phase equilibria and potential phase diagrams
- 9 Molar phase diagrams
- 10 Projected and mixed phase diagrams
- 11 Direction of phase boundaries
- 12 Sharp and gradual phase transformations
- 13 Transformations in closed systems
- 14 Partitionless transformations
- 15 Limit of stability and critical phenomena
- 16 Interfaces
- 17 Kinetics of transport processes
- 18 Methods of modelling
- 19 Modelling of disorder
- 20 Mathematical modelling of solution phases
- 21 Solution phases with sublattices
- 22 Physical solution models
- References
- Index
1 - Basic concepts of thermodynamics
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface to second edition
- Preface to first edition
- 1 Basic concepts of thermodynamics
- 2 Manipulation of thermodynamic quantities
- 3 Systems with variable composition
- 4 Practical handling of multicomponent systems
- 5 Thermodynamics of processes
- 6 Stability
- 7 Applications of molar Gibbs energy diagrams
- 8 Phase equilibria and potential phase diagrams
- 9 Molar phase diagrams
- 10 Projected and mixed phase diagrams
- 11 Direction of phase boundaries
- 12 Sharp and gradual phase transformations
- 13 Transformations in closed systems
- 14 Partitionless transformations
- 15 Limit of stability and critical phenomena
- 16 Interfaces
- 17 Kinetics of transport processes
- 18 Methods of modelling
- 19 Modelling of disorder
- 20 Mathematical modelling of solution phases
- 21 Solution phases with sublattices
- 22 Physical solution models
- References
- Index
Summary
External state variables
Thermodynamics is concerned with the state of a system when left alone, and when interacting with the surroundings. By ‘system’ we shall mean any portion of the world that can be defined for consideration of the changes that may occur under varying conditions. The system may be separated from the surroundings by a real or imaginary wall. The properties of the wall determine how the system may interact with the surroundings. The wall itself will not usually be regarded as part of the system but rather as part of the surroundings. We shall first consider two kinds of interactions, thermal and mechanical, and we may regard the name ‘thermodynamics’ as an indication that these interactions are of main interest. Secondly, we shall introduce interactions by exchange of matter in the form of chemical species. The name ‘thermochemistry’ is sometimes used as an indication of such applications. The term ‘thermophysical properties’ is sometimes used for thermodynamic properties which do not primarily involve changes in the content of various chemical species, e.g. heat capacity, thermal expansivity and compressibility.
One might imagine that the content of matter in the system could be varied in a number of ways equal to the number of species. However, species may react with each other inside the system. It is thus convenient instead to define a set of independent components, the change of which can accomplish all possible variations of the content.
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- Information
- Phase Equilibria, Phase Diagrams and Phase TransformationsTheir Thermodynamic Basis, pp. 1 - 29Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2007