Thermodynamics of Non-Equilibrium Processes for Chemists with a Particular Application to Catalysis - Tapa dura

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Thermodynamics of non-equilibrium processes is a comparatively new area of thermodynamics which traces back to the 1950 s. This area is traditionally considered as a very complex part of physical chemistry which is inapplicable in routine chemical investigations. Therefore, the traditional version of this discipline usually is taught only to chemistry students with a very strong background in physics.

The author has adapted the course of thermodynamics of non-equilibrium processes for students who study chemistry at Novosibirsk State University and discovered that the subject can be treated in terms understandable to any chemist who received his formal physicochemical education in the fields of classical thermodynamics of equilibrium processes and traditional chemical kinetics. Moreover, the discipline combines thermodynamics and chemical kinetics and thus may be helpful to researchers engaged in studying complex chemical transformations, in particular, catalytic ones. For example, the very important concepts for such studies are conditions of kinetic irreversibility of complex stepwise stoichiometric reactions, rate-determining and rate-limiting stages, etc. In traditional chemical kinetics these concepts are not very clear and thus are usually "concealed" in courses. Fortunately, these concepts appear to be consistently and properly defined in terms of thermodynamics of non-equilibrium processes.

Thermodynamics of non-equilibrium processes is a comparatively new area of thermodynamics which traces back to the 1950 s. This area is traditionally considered as a very complex part of physical chemistry which is inapplicable in routine chemical investigations. Therefore, the traditional version of this discipline usually is taught only to chemistry students with a very strong background in physics.

The author has adapted the course of thermodynamics of non-equilibrium processes for students who study chemistry at Novosibirsk State University and discovered that the subject can be treated in terms understandable to any chemist who received his formal physicochemical education in the fields of classical thermodynamics of equilibrium processes and traditional chemical kinetics. Moreover, the discipline combines thermodynamics and chemical kinetics and thus may be helpful to researchers engaged in studying complex chemical transformations, in particular, catalytic ones. For example, the very important concepts for such studies are conditions of kinetic irreversibility of complex stepwise stoichiometric reactions, rate-determining and rate-limiting stages, etc. In traditional chemical kinetics these concepts are not very clear and thus are usually "concealed" in courses. Fortunately, these concepts appear to be consistently and properly defined in terms of thermodynamics of non-equilibrium processes.