Final answer:
The statement that 'Thermodynamics gives no information about reaction rate' is true.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement 'Thermodynamics gives no information about reaction rate' is true. Thermodynamics is the study of the relationship between heat, work, temperature, and energy, and invokes concepts such as internal energy, enthalpy, and entropy. It can tell us the direction of a reaction and whether it is exothermic (releases heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat). However, it does not provide information on how quickly a chemical reaction proceeds, which is the realm of chemical kinetics. For understanding reaction rates, rate laws are necessary, which are determined by rigorous experiments and cannot be reliably predicted by reaction stoichiometry alone.
Additionally, factors like the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution of molecular speeds, catalyst presence, and temperature influence reaction rates but are not accounted for by thermodynamics.
It is also important to address the First Law of Thermodynamics, which concerns internal energy. This law states that the total internal energy of an isolated system is constant, as energy cannot be created or destroyed. For instance, if a system is isolated and no heat is exchanged (q = 0), there will be no change in the system's internal energy. This is unrelated to how fast a process occurs. Finally, a chemical engineer might encounter limitations imposed by thermodynamics, such as the unfavorable shift of a reaction at high temperatures, but this also does not speak to the rate of reaction.