Asked by tj

Which statement about spontaneous and nonspontaneous processes is correct?
Spontaneous processes are favored by a decrease in Delta.H, but nonspontaneous reactions are favored by an increase in Delta.H.
Spontaneous processes are favored by a decrease in Delta.S, but nonspontaneous reactions are favored by an increase in Delta.S.
An increase in Delta.S favors both spontaneous and nonspontaneous processes.
A decrease in Delta.H favors both spontaneous and nonspontaneous processes.

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
Answer: The first statement is correct.

Reason: Spontaneity depends on ΔG = ΔH − TΔS. A decrease in ΔH (exothermic, more negative ΔH) lowers ΔG and thus tends to favor spontaneity; an increase in ΔH (more positive ΔH) raises ΔG and tends to make a process nonspontaneous. (Also, an increase in ΔS favors spontaneity via the −TΔS term.)