Written by the Fiveable Content Team โข Last updated September 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 examโขWritten by the Fiveable Content Team โข Last updated September 2025
Definition
Spontaneous refers to a process or reaction that occurs naturally without any external influence. In chemistry, it specifically means that the process will occur on its own without needing additional input of energy.
Related terms
Entropy: A measure of disorder or randomness in a system. Spontaneous processes tend to increase entropy.
Gibbs Free Energy (ฮG): This is the change in free energy during a reaction and determines whether a reaction is spontaneous or not.
Thermodynamics: The study of how energy is transferred and transformed in physical systems.