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The enthalpy and entropy changes during the solution process
act in some ways to either help or hinder dissolving (along with
the temperature) since like all other processes, free energy must
be transferred from the system to the surroundings for
spontaneity. Enthalpy and entropy are sometimes referred to as "driving forces" for reactions when their signs favor spontaneity. In that context, entropy should always "drive" the solution process forward, as long as we are talking about a [soluble] solid dissolving in a liquid. We need the entropy of the universe to increase for a spontaneous process and one increase [in the system] is better than none. Essentially every spontaneous endothermic process can therefore be considered "entropy driven" because without the increase in entropy in the system, nothing would happen (since an endothermic process decreases the entropy of the surroundings). |
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