Real World/Environmental Context

[laurence14b2f]

Hi everyone! What are the implications of Gibbs free energy changes in the context of environmental processes, such as pollutant degradation and natural attenuation? I'm curious as to how this plays out environmentally. Thanks!

[Stephanie_manasyan]

Hi! A negative Gibbs Free Energy change indicates that the reaction is spontaneous, whereas a positive change implies the reaction isn't spontaneous. A positive Gibbs Free Energy change indicates a system in equilibrium, while a negative change suggests a system out of balance. Hope this helps apply to real world a bit!