For the following, identify the process as a spontaneous process, a nonspontaneous process, or an equilibrium process at the specified temperature: (Assume that the thermodynamic data in the appendix do not vary with temperature.) CO2 (g) → CO2 (aq) at 25°C

A nonspontaneous process

Explanation:

The spontaneity of a reaction is given by the standard Gibbs free energy (ΔG°). We can calculate ΔG° using the following expression.

ΔG° = ∑np. ΔG°f (p) - ∑nr. ΔG°f (r)

where,

ni are the moles of reactants and products

ΔG°f (p) are the standard Gibbs free energies of formation of reactants and products

For the equation,

CO₂ (g) → CO₂ (aq)

ΔG° = 1 mol * ΔG°f (CO₂ (aq)) - 1 mol * ΔG°f (CO₂ (g))

ΔG° = 1 mol * (-386.0 kJ/mol) - 1 mol * (-394.4 kJ/mol)

ΔG° = 8.4 kJ

By convention, ΔG° > 0 means that the reaction is nonspontaneous.