MT 202 Thermodynamics and Kinetics

Fall 2017
Home Assignment 1

1. Consider an isolated system that contains two pieces of copper separated by an

(internal) insulating wall. Initially, the first piece is at 500 K and the second is
at 300 K. Calculate the entropy change in the system when the insulating wall is
removed; assume that each piece has half a mole of copper in it. [Given: Specific
heat capacity of Cu is Cp = 22.6 J K1 mol1 ].

2. Calculate E and S, the energy and entropy changes, respectively, when one mole
of copper (initially at 500 K) is brought into thermal equilibrium with a thermal
reservoir at 400 K. [Hint: One moe of copper and the thermal reservoir form an
isolated system.]

3. Consider the same process (as in Problem 1) of bringing two half-mole pieces of
copper to 400 K (one starting from 300 K and another from 500 K). Now, imagine
this process being split into four parts: starting at 300 K, (a) the first piece is
brought to 350 K, and (b) then to 400 K, and starting at 500 K, (c) the second
piece is brought to 450 K, and (d) then to 400 K. Imagine placing the copper pieces
in contact with an appropriate thermal reservoir in each of the processes (a, b, c,
d).
Compute the total entropy change (involving the copper pieces as well as the reser-
voirs) due to processes (a, b, c, d).

4. Consider an isolated system, consisting of a box of volume Vo with a partition

which separates it into two subsystems; the first subsystem has a volume of 0.4Vo
and contains one mole of a gas at 300 K, while the other is evacuated. Calculate
the entropy change in the gas during the process of its (free) expansion on removing
the partition.

5. Consider an isolated system consisting of a cylinder with a piston (initially held

in place with the help of a tiny stopper) that separates it into two sub-chambers.
Each sub-chamber contains half a mole of a gas at 300 K; the first one has a volume
of 0.6Vm while the second has a volume of 0.4Vm , where Vm is the molar volume
of ideal gas at 300 K. On removing the constraint (stopper), the piston moves to
its new equilibrium position. Calculate the entropy change in the gas during this
process.

6. Consider a box with a partition that divides it into two sub-chambers; one has 0.4
moles of gas A, and the other has 0.6 moles of gas B (both subchambers are at
300 K and 1 atm initially]. Calculate the entropy change in the system during the
process of mixing of the two gases on removing the partition.
7. (Laidler and Meiser, 2.25, p.84)
An ice cube at 273 K weighing 100 g is dropped into 1 kg of water at 293 K.

(a) Does all the ice melt? If not, how much of it remains? What is the final
temperature?
(b) What is the change in entropy of the system?
(c) Perform the same calculations with 10 ice cubes, each weighing 100 g dropped
into 1 kg of water.

[The latent heat of fusion of ice at 273 K 6.025 kJ mol1 , the molar heat capacity
of water Cp is 75.3 J K1 mol1 , and that of ice is 36.8 J K1 mol1 .]

8. Calculate the entropy change during the freezing of one mole of water to ice at 263
K.