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Entropy of activation
View on WikipediaIn chemical kinetics, the entropy of activation of a reaction is one of the two parameters (along with the enthalpy of activation) that are typically obtained from the temperature dependence of a reaction rate constant, when these data are analyzed using the Eyring equation of the transition state theory. The standard entropy of activation is symbolized ΔS‡ and equals the change in entropy when the reactants change from their initial state to the activated complex or transition state (Δ = change, S = entropy, ‡ = activation).
Importance
[edit]Entropy of activation determines the preexponential factor A of the Arrhenius equation for temperature dependence of reaction rates. The relationship depends on the molecularity of the reaction:
- for reactions in solution and unimolecular gas reactions
- A = (ekBT/h) exp(ΔS‡/R),
- while for bimolecular gas reactions
- A = (e2kBT/h) (RT/p) exp(ΔS‡/R).
In these equations e is the base of natural logarithms, h is the Planck constant, kB is the Boltzmann constant and T the absolute temperature. R′ is the ideal gas constant. The factor is needed because of the pressure dependence of the reaction rate. R′ = 8.3145×10−2 (bar·L)/(mol·K).[1]
The value of ΔS‡ provides clues about the molecularity of the rate determining step in a reaction, i.e. the number of molecules that enter this step.[2] Positive values suggest that entropy increases upon achieving the transition state, which often indicates a dissociative mechanism in which the activated complex is loosely bound and about to dissociate. Negative values for ΔS‡ indicate that entropy decreases on forming the transition state, which often indicates an associative mechanism in which two reaction partners form a single activated complex.[3]
Derivation
[edit]It is possible to obtain entropy of activation using Eyring equation. This equation is of the form where:
- = reaction rate constant
- = absolute temperature
- = enthalpy of activation
- = gas constant
- = transmission coefficient
- = Boltzmann constant = R/NA, NA = Avogadro constant
- = Planck constant
- = entropy of activation
This equation can be turned into the form The plot of versus gives a straight line with slope from which the enthalpy of activation can be derived and with intercept from which the entropy of activation is derived.
References
[edit]- ^ Laidler, K.J. and Meiser J.H. Physical Chemistry (Benjamin/Cummings 1982) p. 381–382 ISBN 0-8053-5682-7
- ^ Laidler and Meiser p. 365
- ^ James H. Espenson Chemical Kinetics and Reaction Mechanisms (2nd ed., McGraw-Hill 2002), p. 156–160 ISBN 0-07-288362-6
Entropy of activation
View on GrokipediaFundamentals
Definition
The entropy of activation, denoted as , is defined as the change in entropy associated with the formation of the transition state from the reactants in a chemical reaction.[4] This parameter quantifies the difference in disorder or organizational freedom between the initial reactants and the high-energy transition state configuration.[4] A positive indicates an increase in disorder during activation, often due to greater vibrational or rotational freedom in the transition state, while a negative value suggests a loss of freedom, such as increased restriction in molecular motions.[4] Expressed in units of J mol K, plays a key role in determining the free energy of activation via the Gibbs equation: where is the enthalpy of activation and is the absolute temperature.[4] This relationship highlights how entropic contributions influence the overall energy barrier for the reaction.[4] The concept of entropy of activation was introduced by Henry Eyring in 1935 as part of the development of absolute reaction rate theory, providing a thermodynamic basis for understanding reaction rates beyond simple Arrhenius parameters.[5]Thermodynamic Context
The entropy of activation () provides a key thermodynamic perspective on the energy landscape of chemical reactions by contributing to the Gibbs free energy of activation (), which determines the height of the activation barrier. A positive decreases , lowering the barrier and promoting faster rates, while a negative increases it, imposing an entropic penalty that hinders the reaction.[3] Unlike the standard entropy change () in equilibrium thermodynamics, which measures the entropy difference between stable reactants and products to assess overall reaction spontaneity via , captures the entropy shift to the transient transition state, emphasizing kinetic barriers over thermodynamic favorability. Whereas often increases for reactions that generate more disorder (e.g., producing gases from solids), typically involves partial ordering of reactants into a constrained activated complex, distinguishing activated states from equilibrium ones.[6][3] Molecular structure profoundly affects , particularly through changes in degrees of freedom during transition state formation. In bimolecular reactions, such as association processes, separate molecules must approach and lose independent translational and rotational motions, resulting in negative values that reflect reduced configurational freedom and increased order. This structural constraint is less pronounced in unimolecular reactions, where may be closer to zero or positive if the transition state allows greater vibrational or internal freedom.[7] These values can vary significantly depending on the reaction phase and solvent; for example, gas-phase bimolecular reactions often exhibit more negative due to complete loss of independent motions, while solvation in solution may moderate this effect.[8] Observed values typically range from -200 to +50 J mol K across various reactions, with negative values (often -50 to -150 J mol K) common in bimolecular associations due to freedom losses, while positive values up to around +35 J mol K appear in dissociative or loose transition state scenarios. These ranges highlight entropy's role in scaling activation barriers, with more negative values amplifying the term at higher temperatures.[3][9]Theoretical Derivation
Transition State Theory Overview
Transition state theory (TST), also known as activated complex theory, provides a foundational framework for understanding chemical reaction rates by focusing on the transient high-energy configuration, or transition state, that species must reach to convert reactants into products. Developed in the 1930s, TST evolved from the empirical Arrhenius equation, which describes the temperature dependence of reaction rates, by offering a mechanistic interpretation through statistical mechanics. Key contributions came from Henry Eyring, who formulated the theory of absolute reaction rates, and independently from Meredith Gwynne Evans and Michael Polanyi, who applied potential energy surface concepts to bimolecular reactions. At its core, TST assumes a quasi-equilibrium exists between the reactants and the activated complex at the transition state, allowing the concentration of the complex to be expressed in terms of an equilibrium constant. The transition state is conceptualized as a saddle point on the potential energy surface, where the system has one unstable degree of freedom along the reaction coordinate and stable vibrations in the other directions. A critical assumption is that the transmission coefficient is approximately 1 for simple cases, meaning nearly all activated complexes crossing the saddle point proceed to products without recrossing. This quasi-equilibrium approximation treats the formation of the transition state complex as a reversible process in equilibrium with reactants, enabling the use of thermodynamic parameters like the entropy of activation, ΔS‡, to quantify changes in disorder en route to the transition state.[10][11] TST's assumptions hold best for gas-phase reactions under conditions where thermal equilibrium is maintained and classical mechanics apply. However, limitations arise in scenarios involving quantum effects, such as tunneling, which can enhance rates beyond classical predictions and require corrective factors. Additionally, for diffusion-controlled processes, particularly in solution, TST overestimates rates by neglecting frictional barriers, necessitating extensions like Kramers' theory to account for solvent dynamics. These constraints highlight TST's primary applicability to elementary gas-phase reactions while underscoring the need for refinements in more complex environments.[11][10]Mathematical Derivation
Within transition state theory, the entropy of activation, , arises from the statistical mechanical treatment of the equilibrium between reactants and the transition state, expressed through molecular partition functions. For a general reaction involving reactants with partition function (product of individual reactant partition functions, adjusted for standard states) and the transition state with partition function , the equilibrium constant for formation of the transition state is given by where is the difference in zero-point energies between the transition state and reactants, is the gas constant, and is the temperature; this expression assumes gas-phase conditions and includes a factor for the change in number of molecules via standard-state corrections, such as for concentration units.[1] The Gibbs free energy of activation is , which decomposes into enthalpic and entropic contributions as . Substituting the expression for yields where the logarithmic term captures the entropic effects from the density of states in phase space. The entropy of activation is then obtained from this relation, with the primary contribution plus corrections from the difference between and , given by arising from temperature-dependent terms in the partition functions and standard-state conventions; includes contributions like from translational and rotational degrees of freedom.[1][12][2] The partition functions themselves factor into translational, rotational, vibrational, and electronic components: , each incorporating symmetry factors as (rotational integral). For the transition state, excludes the reaction coordinate mode, treated separately as a loose vibration with frequency , contributing to the prefactor in the rate expression. Symmetry factors adjust for indistinguishable configurations, such as for a bimolecular reaction, influencing by altering the effective number of accessible states.[1] Vibrational contributions to stem from the product form , where is Planck's constant and is Boltzmann's constant; at the transition state, low-frequency modes (e.g., bending vibrations) often dominate the entropic change, leading to negative for association reactions due to loss of rotational freedom, while high-frequency stretches contribute minimally. This vibrational partitioning, combined with the overall term, quantifies how structural loosening or tightening at the transition state affects disorder relative to reactants.[1][12] The rate constant follows from the quasi-equilibrium assumption, with the transition state decomposing at frequency , yielding the Eyring equation directly linking the entropic term to the partition function ratio and confirming as the logarithmic measure of state density changes. Standard-state corrections, such as dividing by (Avogadro's number) for molar concentrations, ensure thermodynamic consistency.[1]Applications and Significance
Role in Reaction Kinetics
The entropy of activation, ΔS‡, plays a crucial role in determining the rate of chemical reactions by influencing the pre-exponential factor in the rate constant expression. A positive ΔS‡ indicates an increase in disorder from reactants to the transition state, which enhances the frequency of successful collisions and thereby accelerates the reaction rate; this is typical in dissociative mechanisms where bonds break early, releasing degrees of freedom./IV%3A__Reactivity_in_Organic_Biological_and_Inorganic_Chemistry_2/03%3A_Ligand_Substitution_in_Coordination_Complexes/3.05%3A_Activation_Parameters) Conversely, a negative ΔS‡ signifies a decrease in disorder, often due to the restriction of molecular motion in the transition state, which reduces the rate constant; this is common in associative mechanisms like SN2 reactions, where the nucleophile and substrate form a tight transition state, leading to typical ΔS‡ values of -30 to -50 cal mol⁻¹ K⁻¹.[13] The temperature dependence of reaction rates further highlights entropy's kinetic role through its contribution to the Arrhenius pre-exponential factor, A. In the Arrhenius equation, k = A exp(-E_a / RT), the factor A is related to ΔS‡ approximately aswhere a more positive ΔS‡ increases A, amplifying the rate at all temperatures, while negative values diminish it. This connection arises from transition state theory, where the Eyring equation links ΔS‡ directly to the equilibrium between reactants and the activated complex./Kinetics/06%3A_Modeling_Reaction_Kinetics/6.02%3A_Temperature_Dependence_of_Reaction_Rates/6.2.03%3A_The_Arrhenius_Law/6.2.3.06%3A_The_Arrhenius_Law_-_Pre-exponential_Factors) Enthalpy-entropy compensation effects often modulate these influences in series of related reactions, known as isokinetic series, where variations in ΔH‡ and ΔS‡ correlate such that changes in one partially offset the other in the Gibbs free energy of activation, ΔG‡ = ΔH‡ - TΔS‡. This linear relationship, characterized by an isokinetic temperature β, the temperature at which the rates of the reactions in the series are equal (intersection point of their Arrhenius plots), maintains relatively constant reaction rates across substituents or conditions despite opposing thermodynamic trends. Such compensation is widely observed in solvent or catalyst variations for a given reaction family.[14] A representative example is the Diels-Alder cycloaddition, a [4+2] pericyclic reaction with a characteristically negative ΔS‡ of around -30 to -40 cal mol⁻¹ K⁻¹, arising from the loss of translational and rotational entropy as two molecules combine into one ordered transition state. This entropic penalty slows the bimolecular process, making it more sensitive to temperature increases that favor the -TΔS‡ term in ΔG‡, and underscores how entropy governs selectivity in concerted mechanisms.[15]
