Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Definition
Entropy change (ΔS) is the measure of disorder or randomness in a system that occurs during a chemical reaction in organic chemistry. It quantifies how the distribution of energy among particles changes as a reaction progresses toward equilibrium.
Related terms
Gibbs Free Energy (ΔG): The difference between the enthalpy and the product of the entropy and temperature of the system, indicating if a process will occur spontaneously.
Reaction Equilibrium: A state in which the forward and reverse reaction rates are equal, leading to no net change in the concentration of reactants and products over time.
Activation Energy (Ea): The minimum amount of energy required to initiate a chemical reaction, influencing both the rate and directionality of reactions