Fundamentals of Chemistry for Biologist

Thermodynamics is a branch of physics that studies energy, heat, work, and how they relate to each other. It focuses on systems and how energy and matter behave within them under various conditions. Here’s a brief summary of key concepts:

  1. Laws of Thermodynamics:
    • Zeroth Law: If two systems are in thermal equilibrium with a third system, they are in thermal equilibrium with each other.
    • First Law: Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed or transferred (conservation of energy).
    • Second Law: Entropy, a measure of disorder, always increases in an isolated system.
    • Third Law: As temperature approaches absolute zero, the entropy of a perfect crystalline structure approaches zero.
  2. Key Terms:
    • System: The part of the universe under study (can be open, closed, or isolated).
    • Surroundings: Everything outside the system.
    • Heat (Q): Energy transfer due to temperature difference.
    • Work (W): Energy transfer by a force.
    • Internal Energy (E): Total energy within a system (kinetic + potential).