CHEMICAL AND METALWRGlCAL THERMODYNAMICS THIS PAGE IS BLANK Copyright © 2007 New Age International (P) Ltd., Publishers Published by New Age International (P) Ltd., Publishers All rights reserved. No part of this ebook may be reproduced in any form, by photostat, microfilm, xerography, or any other means, or incorporated into any information retrieval system, electronic or mechanical, without the written permission of the publisher. All inquiries should be emailed to
[email protected] ISBN (10) : 81-224-2293-4 ISBN (13) : 978-81-224-2293-1 PUBLISHING FOR ONE WORLD NEW AGE INTERNATIONAL (P) LIMITED, PUBLISHERS 4835/24, Ansari Road, Daryaganj, New Delhi - 110002 Visit us at www.newagepublishers.com Preface My first interaction with the science of thermodynamics was not a pleasant one. And I have reasons to presume that for most science students the experience is similar. Soon after, I started patting myself on my back since I felt that I could understand the subject better than my classmates, and with a little help from my teachers I should be able to master the subject. But I found my teachers also woefully lacking in clarity of concepts. Thereafter, my enthusiasm for Physical Chemistry and Thermodynamics remained subsided until I became a student of metallurgy. The practical applicability of thermodynamics in metallurgical processes, and the clarity of concepts taught to us by Prof. K.P. Abraham, rekindled my interest so much so that, at that time I decided to make it my career. My Ph.D work was related to thermodynamic properties and I undertook teaching Metallurgical Thermodynamics, first at the Banaras Hindu University, and thereafter at Jamshedpur Technical Institute. After joining steel industry, I became somewhat lethargic in my academic pursuits. Yet it was always in the back of my mind that some means should be devised so that a student of science should not find his/her first interaction with Thermodynamics an unpleasant one. I had conceived of a book, which could present Thermodynamics in a concise but simple way. The present book is an attempt in that direction. But my experience has been that in trying to make it concise we do not necessarily make it simple. In the concise or precise form, it looks too mathematical to be easily understood. Thus, this attempt has been somewhat of a compromise. This compromise has resulted in the addition of two introductory chapters covering the historical perspective and the aspect of feasibility. The book in exact sense starts from chapter 3. Since for understanding the introductory chapters 1 and 2, some prior knowledge of Chemical and Metallurgical Thermodynamics is needed, a beginner should skip these two chapters during the first reading. Chapters 3 to 7 comprise the basic treatment of “Classical Thermodynamics”- a term explained at the end of chapter 3. Chapters 8 to 10 are, in a way, appendices to classical thermodynamics. But, since lines of demarcation with other forms of thermodynamics have become thin, we have not named them as appendices. The beauty of thermodynamics is (here I am not alone) its universality at macro level. They say that all laws may change but laws of Thermodynamics would never change. The other important aspect of Thermodynamics is that it is based on very common observations and thus it is based on very simple truths. But after all the Theory of Relativity is also based on two very simple facts!!! KKP THIS PAGE IS BLANK Symbols, Abbreviations and Notes α = Degree of Reduction γ = Cp/Cv for gases, also see below γ = Activity coefficient (in the context of solution thermodynamics) η = Efficiency ∂ = Partial differential δ, ∆ = Change in property ε = Energy level of an ens