maximum nonexpansion work

[106046096]

Hi! To find a change in the Gibbs free energy, a possible equation is ΔG = we, max. How do you find we,max, and how different is it from just normal work?

[Aditya Narashim 1K]

Normal work is not a max and much work is lost to the system and other external factors.

[305920501]

Maximum nonexpansion work is referring to the maximum work a system can do, because if there is expansion involved, then the system will lose energy as work as the system expands. The volume must stay consistent for there to be nonexpansion work, and this can usually be discerned from the problem's prompt when it describes the volume, or it may be given directly to you as it the system is explained in the problem.

[Jasmin Gonzalez]

we,max, represents the maximum reversible work that can be obtained from a process occurring at constant temperature and pressure. A way to find w,e,max, you need to know the change in Gibbs free energy (ΔG) for the process and use ΔG = ΔH - TΔS, and once you get ΔG, you can calculate w,e,max using the equation w,e,max = -ΔG. What also make it different from normal work is it usually refers to the work done by or on a system during a process which may not necessarily be the max reversible work.