RESPONSE REACTIONS - AN INTERPRETIVE CONCEPT IN CHEMICAL THERMODYNAMICS

In a series of papers (ref, 1-13) we have recently elaborated the conc ept of ''response reactions'', in order to interpret and rationalize t he changes taking place in multiple-equilibrium systems, when the cont rol parameters (pressure, temperature, initial amounts of substances) are altered. The concept helps to interpret certain unusual phenomena - frequently encountered in multiple-equilibrium systems - by decompos ing the sensitivity coefficients in a linear way into terms uniquely a ssigned to response reactions, It has also been shown that the ''confi gurational'' or ''relaxational'' part of many important first derivati ves in chemical thermodynamics may be expressed as a sum of terms, ass igned to response reactions. The concept of response reactions opens a new way to formulate the change of the thermodynamic potential functi ons in terms of affinities. As a result, coupling between reactions ap pears in a natural and straightforward manner. The equations derived m ay be extended into the domain of irreversible thermodynamics.