What is entropy and how is it used in chemistry?

Entropy (S) is a measure of disorder in a system. Any process, in this case a chemical reaction, is said to entropically favoured if the overall disorder in the system increases. This is usually when there is a net increase in the number of molecules, or the products of the reaction are in a more disordered state - for example, gas instead of solid. This can be used to find if a reaction is feasible at a given temperature, using Gibbs Free Energy (G), which is found by the equation G=dH-TdS, where dH, dS and T are the enthalpy change, entropy change, and temperature respectively. If the value for G is found to be negative, the reaction will occur spontaneously.

KS
Answered by Kashf S. Chemistry tutor

2917 Views

See similar Chemistry A Level tutors

Related Chemistry A Level answers

All answers ▸

How does Le Chatelier's Principle allow you to predict the change of the position of equilibrium for an equilibrium reaction?


Calculate the concentration, in mol dm-3, of a solution of chloric (I) acid, HOCl , which has a pH of 4.23. Chloric acid is a weak acid, with Ka = 3.72 x 10^-8


Why does Phosphorus have a higher melting point than Chlorine?


Draw the shape of an SF6 and SF4 molecule, indicating bond angles and any lone pairs which may influence these. What shape is the SF6 molecule?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning