Answer to Question #108803 in General Chemistry for Ariana

Question

Which phase transition, solid to liquid or liquid to gas, results in the largest increase in entropy? Explain.

Answer 1

The amount of entropy is a measure of the molecular disorder, or randomness, of a system. Solid to liquid phase transition happens when closest order of molecules alignment is still valid. At the same time evaporation of liquid results in much greater change of entropy as the disorder of the system increases greatly. The crystalline lattice and close arrangement of molecules are broken and particles move randomly, free from each other.