Chemical potential

Classical thermodynamics

Definition:

Failed to parse (SVG (MathML can be enabled via browser plugin): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \mu=\left. \frac{\partial G}{\partial N}\right\vert_{T,p}}

where Failed to parse (SVG (MathML can be enabled via browser plugin): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle G} is the Gibbs energy function, leading to

Failed to parse (SVG (MathML can be enabled via browser plugin): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle \mu=\frac{A}{Nk_B T} + \frac{pV}{Nk_BT}}

where $A$ is the Helmholtz energy function, Failed to parse (SVG (MathML can be enabled via browser plugin): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle k_B} is the Boltzmann constant, Failed to parse (SVG (MathML can be enabled via browser plugin): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle p} is the pressure, Failed to parse (SVG (MathML can be enabled via browser plugin): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle T} is the temperature and Failed to parse (SVG (MathML can be enabled via browser plugin): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle V} is the volume.

Statistical mechanics

The chemical potential is the derivative of the Helmholtz energy function with respect to the number of particles

$\mu =\left.{\frac {\partial A}{\partial N}}\right\vert _{T,V}={\frac {\partial (-k_{B}T\ln Z_{N})}{\partial N}}=-{\frac {3}{2}}k_{B}T\ln \left({\frac {2\pi mk_{B}T}{h^{2}}}\right)+{\frac {\partial \ln Q_{N}}{\partial N}}$

where Failed to parse (SVG (MathML can be enabled via browser plugin): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle Z_N} is the partition function for a fluid of $N$ identical particles

Failed to parse (SVG (MathML can be enabled via browser plugin): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle Z_N= \left( \frac{2\pi m k_BT}{h^2} \right)^{3N/2} Q_N}

and Failed to parse (SVG (MathML can be enabled via browser plugin): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle Q_N} is the configurational integral

Failed to parse (SVG (MathML can be enabled via browser plugin): Invalid response ("Math extension cannot connect to Restbase.") from server "https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/":): {\displaystyle Q_N = \frac{1}{N!} \int ... \int \exp (-U_N/k_B T) dr_1...dr_N}

See also

• Ideal gas: Chemical potential

References

1. T. A. Kaplan "The Chemical Potential", Journal of Statistical Physics 122 pp. 1237-1260 (2006)