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The Gibbs Phase Rule Revisited: Interrelationships between Components and Phases

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Joseph S. Alper

Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts-Boston, Boston, MA 02125

J. Chem. Educ., 1999, 76 (11), p 1567

DOI: 10.1021/ed076p1567

Publication Date (Web): November 1, 1999

Abstract

The Gibbs phase rule relates the number of degrees of freedom to the number of components and number of phases in a system at thermodynamic equilibrium. In determining the number of components, one must determine the number of independent reactions and the number of stoichiometric constraints. Textbooks focus on the problem of determining the number of independent reactions. This paper discusses the stoichiometric constraints in multiphase reactive systems. It is shown that two simple, seemingly similar systems can differ in their number of components. The analysis of these systems is then extended to show that (i) the number of components can be affected by the temperature and pressure of the system and (ii) in certain situations, a system containing arbitrary amounts of two different chemical compounds should be regarded as a one-component system.

Keywords (Audience):

Upper-Division Undergraduate

Keywords (Domain):

Physical Chemistry

Keywords (Subject):

Phases / Phase Transitions / Diagrams

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This article has been cited by 1 ACS Journal articles (1 most recent appear below).

Generalizing the Phase Rule
William B. Jensen
Journal of Chemical Education2001 78 (10), 1369
- Generalizing the Phase Rule
  William B. Jensen
  Journal of Chemical Education2001 78 (10), 1369
  This brief note calls attention to the literature discussing four pedagogical points relating to the application and teaching of the well-known Gibbs phase rule: (i) suggestions that the component term be broken into a species term, an equilibrated ...
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