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A reaction A → B has a negative ΔG under experimental conditions. Which statement is true about this reaction?

-Increasing the concentration of B will increase the ΔG, making it more positive.
-The formation of product B will decrease the entropy of the universe.
-The reaction cannot proceed until it is coupled to a reaction with a positive ΔG.
-The reaction is energetically unfavorable.

User Hcayless
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Final answer:

Increasing the concentration of product B in a reaction with negative ΔG will make ΔG more positive. Such a reaction is spontaneous, energetically favorable, and will increase the entropy of the universe.

Step-by-step explanation:

If a reaction A → B has a negative ΔG under experimental conditions, it indicates that the reaction is spontaneous and energetically favorable. The correct statement about such a reaction is that increasing the concentration of product B will increase the ΔG, making it more positive. This is due to the reaction quotient getting closer to equilibrium, which increases ΔG values until reaching zero at equilibrium.

A spontaneous reaction does not require coupling to a reaction with a positive ΔG to proceed, and if ΔG is negative, then by definition, the reaction is energetically favorable, not unfavorable. Regarding entropy, the formation of product B will typically increase the entropy of the system unless the reaction forms a more ordered phase, but overall the entropy of the universe always increases for any process that releases energy, as described by the second law of thermodynamics.

User Andriana
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