ENTROPY

MUBEENA  MOOSSA
II M.Sc BIOCHEMISTRY 
• entropy, the measure of a system’s thermal energy per unit temperature that is unavailable
for doing useful work. Because work is obtained from ordered molecular motion, the
amount of entropy is also a measure of the molecular disorder, or randomness, of a system.
•  The concept of entropy provides deep insight into the direction of spontaneous change for
many everyday phenomena.
•  Its introduction by the German physicist Rudolf Clausius in 1850 is a highlight of 19th-
century physics.
• The value of entropy depends on the mass of a system. It is denoted by the letter S and has
units of joules per kelvin (J⋅K−1) or kg⋅m2⋅s−2⋅K−1. 
• A highly ordered system has low entropy.
•  A system at higher temperatures has greater randomness than a system at
a lower temperature. From these examples, it is clear that entropy
increases with a decrease in regularity.
• Entropy is an extensive property which means that it scales with the size
or extent of a system.
• Like any thermodynamic property such as internal energy U and
enthalpy H is a state function and ΔS is independent of path.
Entropy of a Reversible Process
• Certain assumptions are made when calculating the entropy of a reversible process. Probably the most
important assumption is that each configuration within the process is equally probable (which it may not
actually be). Given equal probability of outcomes, entropy equals Boltzmann's constant (kB) multiplied by the
natural logarithm of the number of possible states (W):
• S = kB ln W
• Boltzmann's constant is 1.38065 × 10−23 J/K.
• Whenever heat is added to the system ,it increases molecular motions causing increased randomness in the
system .
• heat is added to the system at lower temperature causes greater randomness than when the same quantity of
heat is added to it at higher temperature .
• The entropy change is inversely proportional to the temperature .
ΔS=qres/T
The  total entropy change (ΔS total  )for the system and surrounding of a
spontaneous process is given by
ΔS total   =  ΔS system + ΔS surr > 0

When a system is in equilibrium the entropy is maximum , and the change in

entropy,  ΔS =0
We can say that entropy for a spontaneous process increases till it reaches
maximum and at equilibrium the change in entropy is zero . Since entropy is a
state property ,we can calculate the change in entropy of a reversible process
by, 
ΔS system = q sys,rev/T
Entropy of an Isothermal Process
• Calculus may be used to find the integral of dQ/T from the initial state to final state, where Q is heat and T is the absolute
(Kelvin) temperature of a system.
• Another way to state this is that the change in entropy (ΔS) equals the change in heat (ΔQ) divided by the absolute
temperature (T):
• ΔS = ΔQ / T
• This equation effectively gives an alternate definition of temperature that agrees with the usual definition. Assume that there
are two heat reservoirs R1 and R2 at temperatures T1 and T2 (such as the stove and the block of ice).
•  If an amount of heat Q flows from R1 to R2, then the net entropy change for the two reservoirs is which is positive
provided that T1 > T2. 
• Thus, the observation that heat never flows spontaneously from cold to hot is equivalent to requiring the net entropy change
to be positive for a spontaneous flow of heat. If T1 = T2, then the reservoirs are in equilibrium, no heat flows, and ΔS = 0.
Entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics
• The second law of thermodynamics states the total entropy of a closed system cannot decrease. However, within a system,
entropy of one system can decrease by raising entropy of another system.

Entropy and Time

Entropy is often called the arrow of time because matter in isolated systems tends to move from order to disorder.

entropy and Internal Energy

In physical chemistry and thermodynamics, one of the most useful equations relates entropy to the internal energy (U) of a system:
dU = T dS - p dV
Here, the change in internal energy dU equals absolute temperature T multiplied by the change in entropy minus external
pressure p and the change in volume V.
Example of Entropy

• A block of ice will increase in entropy as it melts. It's easy to visualize the
increase in the disorder of the system. Ice consists of water molecules
bonded to each other in a crystal lattice. As ice melts, molecules gain more
energy, spread further apart, and lose structure to form a liquid. Similarly,
the phase change from a liquid to a gas, as from water to steam, increases the
energy of the system.
• On the flip side, energy can decrease. This occurs as steam changes phase
into water or as water changes to ice. The second law of thermodynamics is
not violated because the matter is not in a closed system. While the entropy
of the system being studied may decrease, that of the environment increases.
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