The Clausius–Clapeyron relation, in
chemical thermodynamics
Chemical thermodynamics is the study of the interrelation of heat and work with chemical reactions or with physical changes of state within the confines of the laws of thermodynamics. Chemical thermodynamics involves not only laboratory measure ...
, specifies the temperature dependence of pressure, most importantly
vapor pressure
Vapor pressure or equilibrium vapor pressure is the pressure exerted by a vapor in thermodynamic equilibrium with its condensed phases (solid or liquid) at a given temperature in a closed system. The equilibrium vapor pressure is an indicat ...
, at a discontinuous
phase transition
In physics, chemistry, and other related fields like biology, a phase transition (or phase change) is the physical process of transition between one state of a medium and another. Commonly the term is used to refer to changes among the basic Sta ...
between two
phases of matter
In the outline of physical science, physical sciences, a phase is a region of material that is chemically uniform, physically distinct, and (often) mechanically separable. In a system consisting of ice and water in a glass jar, the ice cubes ...
of a single constituent. It is named after
Rudolf Clausius
Rudolf Julius Emanuel Clausius (; 2 January 1822 – 24 August 1888) was a German physicist and mathematician and is considered one of the central founding fathers of the science of thermodynamics. By his restatement of Sadi Carnot's principle ...
and
Benoît Paul Émile Clapeyron.
However, this relation was in fact originally derived by
Sadi Carnot in his ''
Reflections on the Motive Power of Fire'', which was published in 1824 but largely ignored until it was rediscovered by Clausius, Clapeyron, and
Lord Kelvin
William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin (26 June 182417 December 1907), was a British mathematician, Mathematical physics, mathematical physicist and engineer. Born in Belfast, he was the Professor of Natural Philosophy (Glasgow), professor of Natur ...
decades later.
Kelvin said of Carnot's argument that "nothing in the whole range of Natural Philosophy is more remarkable than the establishment of general laws by such a process of reasoning."
Kelvin and his brother
James Thomson confirmed the relation experimentally in 1849–50, and it was historically important as a very early successful application of theoretical thermodynamics. Its relevance to meteorology and climatology is the increase of the water-holding capacity of the atmosphere by about 7% for every 1 °C (1.8 °F) rise in temperature.
Definition
Exact Clapeyron equation
On a
pressure
Pressure (symbol: ''p'' or ''P'') is the force applied perpendicular to the surface of an object per unit area over which that force is distributed. Gauge pressure (also spelled ''gage'' pressure)The preferred spelling varies by country and eve ...
–
temperature
Temperature is a physical quantity that quantitatively expresses the attribute of hotness or coldness. Temperature is measurement, measured with a thermometer. It reflects the average kinetic energy of the vibrating and colliding atoms making ...
(''P''–''T'') diagram, for any phase change the line separating the two phases is known as the
coexistence curve. The Clapeyron relation
gives the
slope
In mathematics, the slope or gradient of a Line (mathematics), line is a number that describes the direction (geometry), direction of the line on a plane (geometry), plane. Often denoted by the letter ''m'', slope is calculated as the ratio of t ...
of the
tangents to this curve. Mathematically,
where
is the slope of the tangent to the
coexistence curve at any point,
is the molar change in enthalpy (
latent heat
Latent heat (also known as latent energy or heat of transformation) is energy released or absorbed, by a body or a thermodynamic system, during a constant-temperature process—usually a first-order phase transition, like melting or condensation. ...
, the amount of energy absorbed in the transformation),
is the
temperature
Temperature is a physical quantity that quantitatively expresses the attribute of hotness or coldness. Temperature is measurement, measured with a thermometer. It reflects the average kinetic energy of the vibrating and colliding atoms making ...
,
is the
molar volume
In chemistry and related fields, the molar volume, symbol ''V''m, or \tilde V of a substance is the ratio of the volume (''V'') occupied by a substance to the amount of substance (''n''), usually at a given temperature and pressure. It is also eq ...
change of the phase transition, and
is the
molar entropy change of the phase transition. Alternatively, the specific values may be used instead of the molar ones.
Clausius–Clapeyron equation
The Clausius–Clapeyron equation
applies to vaporization of liquids where vapor follows
ideal gas law
The ideal gas law, also called the general gas equation, is the equation of state of a hypothetical ideal gas. It is a good approximation of the behavior of many gases under many conditions, although it has several limitations. It was first stat ...
using the
ideal gas constant and liquid volume is neglected as being much smaller than vapor volume ''V''. It is often used to calculate vapor pressure of a liquid.
The equation expresses this in a more convenient form just in terms of the latent heat, for moderate temperatures and pressures.
Derivations
Derivation from state postulate
Using the
state postulate, take the
molar entropy for a
homogeneous
Homogeneity and heterogeneity are concepts relating to the uniformity of a substance, process or image. A homogeneous feature is uniform in composition or character (i.e., color, shape, size, weight, height, distribution, texture, language, i ...
substance to be a function of
molar volume
In chemistry and related fields, the molar volume, symbol ''V''m, or \tilde V of a substance is the ratio of the volume (''V'') occupied by a substance to the amount of substance (''n''), usually at a given temperature and pressure. It is also eq ...
and
temperature
Temperature is a physical quantity that quantitatively expresses the attribute of hotness or coldness. Temperature is measurement, measured with a thermometer. It reflects the average kinetic energy of the vibrating and colliding atoms making ...
.
The Clausius–Clapeyron relation describes a
Phase transition
In physics, chemistry, and other related fields like biology, a phase transition (or phase change) is the physical process of transition between one state of a medium and another. Commonly the term is used to refer to changes among the basic Sta ...
in a
closed system
A closed system is a natural physical system that does not allow transfer of matter in or out of the system, althoughin the contexts of physics, chemistry, engineering, etc.the transfer of energy (e.g. as work or heat) is allowed.
Physics
In cl ...
composed of two contiguous phases, condensed matter and ideal gas, of a single substance, in mutual thermodynamic equilibrium, at constant temperature and
pressure
Pressure (symbol: ''p'' or ''P'') is the force applied perpendicular to the surface of an object per unit area over which that force is distributed. Gauge pressure (also spelled ''gage'' pressure)The preferred spelling varies by country and eve ...
. Therefore,
Using the appropriate
Maxwell relation gives
where
is the pressure. Since pressure and temperature are constant, the derivative of pressure with respect to temperature does not change.
Therefore, the
partial derivative
In mathematics, a partial derivative of a function of several variables is its derivative with respect to one of those variables, with the others held constant (as opposed to the total derivative, in which all variables are allowed to vary). P ...
of molar entropy may be changed into a
total derivative
In mathematics, the total derivative of a function at a point is the best linear approximation near this point of the function with respect to its arguments. Unlike partial derivatives, the total derivative approximates the function with res ...
and the total derivative of pressure with respect to temperature may be
factored out when
integrating from an initial phase
to a final phase
,
to obtain
where
and
are respectively the change in molar entropy and molar volume. Given that a phase change is an internally
reversible process, and that our system is closed, the
first law of thermodynamics
The first law of thermodynamics is a formulation of the law of conservation of energy in the context of thermodynamic processes. For a thermodynamic process affecting a thermodynamic system without transfer of matter, the law distinguishes two ...
holds:
where
is the
internal energy
The internal energy of a thermodynamic system is the energy of the system as a state function, measured as the quantity of energy necessary to bring the system from its standard internal state to its present internal state of interest, accoun ...
of the system. Given constant pressure and temperature (during a phase change) and the definition of
molar enthalpy , we obtain
Given constant pressure and temperature (during a phase change), we obtain
Substituting the definition of
molar latent heat gives
Substituting this result into the pressure derivative given above (
), we obtain
This result (also known as the Clapeyron equation) equates the slope
of the
coexistence curve to the function
of the molar latent heat
, the temperature
, and the change in molar volume
. Instead of the molar values, corresponding specific values may also be used.
Derivation from Gibbs–Duhem relation
Suppose two phases,
and
, are in contact and at equilibrium with each other. Their chemical potentials are related by
Furthermore, along the
coexistence curve,
One may therefore use the
Gibbs–Duhem relation
(where
is the specific
entropy
Entropy is a scientific concept, most commonly associated with states of disorder, randomness, or uncertainty. The term and the concept are used in diverse fields, from classical thermodynamics, where it was first recognized, to the micros ...
,
is the
specific volume
In thermodynamics, the specific volume of a substance (symbol: , nu) is the quotient of the substance's volume () to its mass ():
:\nu = \frac
It is a mass-specific intrinsic property of the substance. It is the reciprocal of density (rho) ...
, and
is the
molar mass
In chemistry, the molar mass () (sometimes called molecular weight or formula weight, but see related quantities for usage) of a chemical substance ( element or compound) is defined as the ratio between the mass () and the amount of substance ...
) to obtain
Rearrangement gives
from which the derivation of the Clapeyron equation continues as in
the previous section.
Ideal gas approximation at low temperatures
When the
phase transition
In physics, chemistry, and other related fields like biology, a phase transition (or phase change) is the physical process of transition between one state of a medium and another. Commonly the term is used to refer to changes among the basic Sta ...
of a substance is between a
gas phase and a condensed phase (
liquid
Liquid is a state of matter with a definite volume but no fixed shape. Liquids adapt to the shape of their container and are nearly incompressible, maintaining their volume even under pressure. The density of a liquid is usually close to th ...
or
solid
Solid is a state of matter where molecules are closely packed and can not slide past each other. Solids resist compression, expansion, or external forces that would alter its shape, with the degree to which they are resisted dependent upon the ...
), and occurs at temperatures much lower than the
critical temperature
Critical or Critically may refer to:
*Critical, or critical but stable, medical states
**Critical, or intensive care medicine
*Critical juncture, a discontinuous change studied in the social sciences.
*Critical Software, a company specializing in ...
of that substance, the
specific volume
In thermodynamics, the specific volume of a substance (symbol: , nu) is the quotient of the substance's volume () to its mass ():
:\nu = \frac
It is a mass-specific intrinsic property of the substance. It is the reciprocal of density (rho) ...
of the gas phase
greatly exceeds that of the condensed phase
. Therefore, one may approximate
at low
temperatures
Temperature is a physical quantity that quantitatively expresses the attribute of hotness or coldness. Temperature is measured with a thermometer. It reflects the average kinetic energy of the vibrating and colliding atoms making up a subst ...
. If
pressure
Pressure (symbol: ''p'' or ''P'') is the force applied perpendicular to the surface of an object per unit area over which that force is distributed. Gauge pressure (also spelled ''gage'' pressure)The preferred spelling varies by country and eve ...
is also low, the gas may be approximated by the
ideal gas law
The ideal gas law, also called the general gas equation, is the equation of state of a hypothetical ideal gas. It is a good approximation of the behavior of many gases under many conditions, although it has several limitations. It was first stat ...
, so that
where
is the pressure,
is the
specific gas constant
The molar gas constant (also known as the gas constant, universal gas constant, or ideal gas constant) is denoted by the symbol or . It is the molar equivalent to the Boltzmann constant, expressed in units of energy per temperature increment pe ...
, and
is the temperature. Substituting into the Clapeyron equation
we can obtain the Clausius–Clapeyron equation
for low temperatures and pressures,
where
is the
specific latent heat of the substance. Instead of the specific, corresponding molar values (i.e.
in kJ/mol and = 8.31 J/(molâ‹…K)) may also be used.
Let
and
be any two points along the
coexistence curve between two phases
and
. In general,
varies between any two such points, as a function of temperature. But if
is approximated as constant,
or
These last equations are useful because they relate
equilibrium
Equilibrium may refer to:
Film and television
* ''Equilibrium'' (film), a 2002 science fiction film
* '' The Story of Three Loves'', also known as ''Equilibrium'', a 1953 romantic anthology film
* "Equilibrium" (''seaQuest 2032'')
* ''Equilibr ...
or
saturation vapor pressure
Vapor pressure or equilibrium vapor pressure is the pressure exerted by a vapor in thermodynamic equilibrium with its condensed phases (solid or liquid) at a given temperature in a closed system. The equilibrium vapor pressure is an indicat ...
and temperature to the latent heat of the phase change ''without'' requiring specific-volume data. For instance, for water near its
normal boiling point
The boiling point of a substance is the temperature at which the vapor pressure of a liquid equals the pressure surrounding the liquid and the liquid changes into a vapor.
The boiling point of a liquid varies depending upon the surrounding envi ...
, with a molar enthalpy of vaporization of 40.7 kJ/mol and = 8.31 J/(molâ‹…K),
Clapeyron's derivation
In the original work by Clapeyron, the following argument is advanced.
Clapeyron considered a Carnot process of saturated water vapor with horizontal isobars. As the pressure is a function of temperature alone, the isobars are also isotherms. If the process involves an infinitesimal amount of water,
, and an infinitesimal difference in temperature
, the heat absorbed is
and the corresponding work is
where
is the difference between the volumes of
in the liquid phase and vapor phases.
The ratio
is the efficiency of the Carnot engine,
. Substituting and rearranging gives
where lowercase
denotes the change in ''specific volume'' during the transition.
Applications
Chemistry and chemical engineering
For transitions between a gas and a condensed phase with the approximations described above, the expression may be rewritten as
where
are the pressures at temperatures
respectively and
is the
ideal gas constant. For a liquid–gas transition,
is the
molar latent heat (or
molar enthalpy) of
vaporization
Vaporization (or vapo(u)risation) of an element or compound is a phase transition from the liquid phase to vapor. There are two types of vaporization: evaporation and boiling. Evaporation is a surface phenomenon, whereas boiling is a bulk phenome ...
; for a solid–gas transition,
is the molar latent heat of
sublimation. If the latent heat is known, then knowledge of one point on the
coexistence curve, for instance (1 bar, 373 K) for water, determines the rest of the curve. Conversely, the relationship between
and
is linear, and so
linear regression
In statistics, linear regression is a statistical model, model that estimates the relationship between a Scalar (mathematics), scalar response (dependent variable) and one or more explanatory variables (regressor or independent variable). A mode ...
is used to estimate the latent heat.
Meteorology and climatology
Atmospheric
An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosphere ...
water vapor
Water vapor, water vapour, or aqueous vapor is the gaseous phase of Properties of water, water. It is one Phase (matter), state of water within the hydrosphere. Water vapor can be produced from the evaporation or boiling of liquid water or from th ...
drives many important
meteorologic phenomena (notably,
precipitation
In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls from clouds due to gravitational pull. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, rain and snow mixed ("sleet" in Commonwe ...
), motivating interest in its
dynamics. The Clausius–Clapeyron equation for water vapor under typical atmospheric conditions (near
standard temperature and pressure
Standard temperature and pressure (STP) or standard conditions for temperature and pressure are various standard sets of conditions for experimental measurements used to allow comparisons to be made between different sets of data. The most used ...
) is
where
The temperature dependence of the latent heat
can be neglected in this application. The
August
August is the eighth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days.
In the Southern Hemisphere, August is the seasonal equivalent of February in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Northern Hemisphere, August ...
–
Roche
F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, commonly known as Roche (), is a Switzerland, Swiss multinational corporation, multinational holding healthcare company that operates worldwide under two divisions: Pharmaceuticals and Diagnostics. Its holding company, ...
–
Magnus
Magnus, meaning "Great" in Latin, was used as cognomen of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus in the first century BC. The best-known use of the name during the Roman Empire is for the fourth-century Western Roman Emperor Magnus Maximus. The name gained wid ...
formula provides a solution under that approximation:
where
is in
hPa
The pascal (symbol: Pa) is the unit of pressure in the International System of Units (SI). It is also used to quantify internal pressure, stress, Young's modulus, and ultimate tensile strength. The unit, named after Blaise Pascal, is an S ...
, and
is in
degrees Celsius (whereas everywhere else on this page,
is an absolute temperature, e.g. in kelvins).
This is also sometimes called the ''Magnus'' or ''Magnus–Tetens'' approximation, though this attribution is historically inaccurate. But see also the
discussion of the accuracy of different approximating formulae for saturation vapour pressure of water.
Under typical atmospheric conditions, the
denominator
A fraction (from , "broken") represents a part of a whole or, more generally, any number of equal parts. When spoken in everyday English, a fraction describes how many parts of a certain size there are, for example, one-half, eight-fifths, thre ...
of the
exponent
In mathematics, exponentiation, denoted , is an operation involving two numbers: the ''base'', , and the ''exponent'' or ''power'', . When is a positive integer, exponentiation corresponds to repeated multiplication of the base: that is, i ...
depends weakly on
(for which the unit is degree Celsius). Therefore, the August–Roche–Magnus equation implies that saturation water vapor pressure changes approximately
exponentially with temperature under typical atmospheric conditions, and hence the water-holding capacity of the atmosphere increases by about 7% for every 1 °C rise in temperature.
Example
One of the uses of this equation is to determine if a phase transition will occur in a given situation. Consider the question of how much pressure is needed to melt ice at a temperature
below 0 °C. Note that water is unusual in that its change in volume upon melting is negative. We can assume
and substituting in
we obtain
To provide a rough example of how much pressure this is, to melt ice at −7 °C (the temperature many
ice skating
Ice skating is the Human-powered transport, self-propulsion and gliding of a person across an ice surface, using metal-bladed ice skates. People skate for various reasons, including recreation (fun), exercise, competitive sports, and commuting. ...
rinks are set at) would require balancing a small car (mass ~ 1000 kg) on a
thimble
A thimble is a small pitted cup worn on the finger that protects it from being pricked or poked by a needle while sewing. The Old English word , the ancestor of thimble, is derived from Old English , the ancestor of the English word ''thumb''.
...
(area ~ 1 cm
2). This shows that ice skating cannot be simply explained by pressure-caused melting point depression, and in fact the mechanism is quite complex.
Second derivative
While the Clausius–Clapeyron relation gives the slope of the coexistence curve, it does not provide any information about its curvature or
second derivative
In calculus, the second derivative, or the second-order derivative, of a function is the derivative of the derivative of . Informally, the second derivative can be phrased as "the rate of change of the rate of change"; for example, the secon ...
. The second derivative of the coexistence curve of phases 1 and 2 is given by
where subscripts 1 and 2 denote the different phases,
is the
specific heat capacity
In thermodynamics, the specific heat capacity (symbol ) of a substance is the amount of heat that must be added to one unit of mass of the substance in order to cause an increase of one unit in temperature. It is also referred to as massic heat ...
at constant pressure,
is the
thermal expansion coefficient, and
is the
isothermal compressibility.
See also
*
Van 't Hoff equation
*
Antoine equation
The Antoine equation is a class of semi-empirical correlations describing the relation between vapor pressure and temperature for pure substances. The Antoine equation is derived from the Clausius–Clapeyron relation. The equation was presente ...
*
Lee–Kesler method
The Lee–Kesler method
allows the estimation of the saturated vapor pressure at a given temperature for all components for which the critical pressure ''P''c, the critical temperature ''T''c, and the acentric factor ''ω'' are known.
Equati ...
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clausius-Clapeyron Relation
1849 in science
1850 in science
Thermodynamic equations
Atmospheric thermodynamics
Engineering thermodynamics