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  Home > JCE Print > Journal of Chemical Education > Issues > 2005  > June  >
In the Classroom
Thermodynamic Calculation of Work for Some Irreversible Processes
Gary L. Bertrand
Department of Chemistry, University of Missouri-Rolla, Rolla, MO 65409-0010
Cover
June 2005
Vol. 82 No. 6
p. 874
Abstract
The calculation of irreversible thermodynamic work is examined in terms of the presentation in textbooks and in the application to actual and conceptual experiments. The force operating across the boundary between system and surroundings is shown to be dependent on the velocity of the operation. An approximate correction for the effect of velocity on the operating pressure for a perfect gas is suggested as Poperating = Pgas(1 ± u/vx)2; vx2 = RT/M where u is the absolute value of the velocity of the piston, vx is the average velocity of the gas molecules moving toward the piston, and M is the molar mass of the gas. The positive sign applies to compressions and the negative sign to expansions.
Supplement
Additional equations for lifting and lowering masses and for calculations on the experiment of Desormes and Clement are available.
*  Contents JCE2005p0874W.doc (Microsoft Word)
*  Download
JCE2005p0874W.pdf

JCE2005p0874W.zip
More Information
*  Citation
 Bertrand, Gary L. J. Chem. Educ. 2005 82 874.
*  Keywords
 Gases; Physical Chemistry; Textbooks / Reference Books; Thermodynamics; Upper-Division Undergraduate
*  History
 Created:
Last Updated:		 April 27, 2005
May 11, 2005
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