Compare and contrast thermodynamics and kinetics - Essay Example

Sur Lecturer Thermodynamics and Kinetics Thermodynamics is a science based experiment based on principles generalized from experience. It is concerned with large scale or macroscopic properties of matter and has no hypothesis on microscopic or small scale properties of matter. Thermodynamics derives general relationships between quantities like specific heat capacities, coefficient of expansion, dielectric and magnetic coefficients, as influenced by temperature. These relationships must be experimentally determined so as to specify the system’s properties.

On the other hand, kinetics deals with the study of the rates or speed of chemical reactions. It studies the factors that affect reaction rates and the mechanisms in which the chemical reactions proceed. Kinetics is concerned with the measure of reaction rates of that proceed under specific conditions of pressure, temperature and concentration. This paper seeks to compare and contrast kinetics and thermodynamics.Thermodynamics is complementary to the theory of kinetic. It provides the relations between the physical properties of a system under specified measurements, while kinetics enables the calculations of the magnitude of the system’s properties.

Thermodynamics determines the equilibrium of the reaction, the constant of the equilibrium, and it is also determined by enthalpy and entropy. On the other hand, kinetics determines the rate and speed of the reaction, the constant of the rate and it is determined by the activation energy. Thermodynamics and kinetics are hence related to one another in a chemical reaction.As described in the above paragraph, a chemical reaction contains aspects of both thermodynamics and kinetics. The kinetics related quantities are constant rate which is associated with the required activation energy for reaction to move forward, while thermodynamics is associated with the energy difference that results from a free energy released in the process of a chemical reaction.

Although kinetics defines the speed and rate of reaction, they don’t specify conditions of the equilibrium. On the same note, thermodynamics only details the equilibrium conditions and says nothing about the rate and speed of reaction; hence the two are related and complement each other. The diagrams showing Kinetic reactions and thermodynamic reactionsWorks CitedGonz, Dom. Thermodynamics and Kinetic Reactions: Journal of Coordination Chemistry, Volume 62, Issue 1 Oct. 2009, pages 108-109