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  • Essay / phase diagram - 2006

    Introduction: Chemical equilibrium is a crucial subject in chemistry. To represent and model equilibrium, the thermodynamic concept of free energy is generally used. For a multi-component system, the Gibbs free energy is a function of the pressure, temperature and quantity (mass, moles) of each component. If any of these parameters are changed, a state change to a more energetically favorable state will occur. This state has the lowest free energy. When the free energies of all states are equal, the system is in equilibrium. The heat released or absorbed during a change in absorbed state is called latent heat. For a binary mixture such as durene and naphthalene, the Clausius-Clapeyron equation (see appendix) relates the latent heat of fusion or solidification to the rate of variation of the melting point with pressure. Additionally, when a mixture is cooled, its latent heat changes. Since the change in molar volume resulting from the change of state (i.e., liquid to solid) is minimal, phase equilibrium is independent of pressure and depends only on composition and temperature. Therefore, by studying a system at different temperatures and various compositions, it should be possible to observe and predict phase changes in that system. Methods: To complete the binary phase experiment, students first set Set up the experimental apparatus, which consisted of a stirring plate, ring stand, Erlenmeyer flask, ice water bath, and a GLX temperature probe. The temperature probe has been set to take one data point every second. A stir bar was added to the ice water bath to ensure a uniform temperature throughout the bath, and thus more uniform cooling of the samples. A beaker of boiling water was placed on a hot plate to melt the samples. After adjusting the temperature of the middle of the paper, the lowest temperature where the liquid phase is in equilibrium with the solid phase. Phase diagrams are means that can be used to graphically represent the thermal behavior of mixtures by studying compositions. and the temperatures at which particular phases exist, the equilibrium curves and the eutectic point. The diagram has composition on the x-axis and temperature on the y-axis at a specific pressure. The equilibrium curves are the phase limits of the system. All systems studied were at constant pressure, so according to Gibb's phase rule, the degree of freedom of the system in this case is F = 1 + C - P = 3 - P. There are therefore a maximum of 3 phases present in the binary system. At the eutectic point, the 3 distinct phases are in equilibrium therefore the degree of freedom of the system is now F = 3-3 = 0. In short, the eutectic point is fixed.