Question

In a chemical reaction, the standard free energy change (∆Gᵒ') is calculated to be 3.67 cal/mol. What can be said of the chemical reaction?

A) The reaction is at equilibrium under standard conditions.
B) The reaction goes spontaneously to the right under standard conditions.
C) The reaction is not spontaneous under standard conditions.
D) Products predominate over reactants at equilibrium under standard conditions E) There can be no reaction.

Answer 1

The standard free energy change (∆Gᵒ') of a chemical reaction can indicate the spontaneity of the reaction under standard conditions. A positive ∆Gᵒ' value indicates a non-spontaneous reaction, and in this case, the ∆Gᵒ' is 3.67 cal/mol. Therefore, the reaction is not spontaneous under standard conditions.

Step-by-step explanation:

The standard free energy change, ∆Gᵒ', of a chemical reaction can give us information about the spontaneity of the reaction under standard conditions. In this case, the ∆Gᵒ' is calculated to be 3.67 cal/mol. If ∆Gᵒ' is positive, it means the reaction is not spontaneous under standard conditions. If ∆Gᵒ' is negative, it means the reaction goes spontaneously to the right under standard conditions. If ∆Gᵒ' is zero, it means the reaction is at equilibrium under standard conditions.

Since the given value of ∆Gᵒ' is positive (3.67 cal/mol), we can conclude that the reaction is not spontaneous under standard conditions. Therefore, the correct answer is C) The reaction is not spontaneous under standard conditions.