Entropy

Definition

The system’s preference for dispersion and mixing, the thermodynamic tendency toward scattered, mixed, disordered states.

Dissolving a solid often increases the number of accessible arrangements, which favors dissolution, but hydration imposes local order on surrounding water, which is costly. These two effects compete, so entropy can either favor the dissolved state or the solid state. Temperature determines how strongly this term is weighted in the Gibbs equation.

Related concepts

Temperature Dependence of Solubility · Gibbs Free Energy · Hydration Shell

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Part of The Blueprint of Water · 🔥 thermodynamics