Sample interview questions: Can you explain the concept of fugacity and its relation to thermodynamics?
Sample answer:
Fugacity is a concept used in thermodynamics to describe the tendency of a substance to escape or become a part of a mixture. It is a measure of the escaping tendency of a component in a mixture at a given pressure, temperature, and composition. More precisely, fugacity is a measure of the chemical potential of a substance relative to an ideal gas.
In thermodynamics, we often study systems that deviate from ideal behavior, especially when dealing with real-world substances such as liquids and solids. Unlike ideal gases, these substances can exhibit intermolecular forces and occupy a finite volume, which affects their behavior. Fugacity takes these deviations into account and provides a more accurate description of the escaping tendency compared to the ideal gas law.
Fugacity can be thought of as an effective pressure that a substance would exert if it behaved ideally in terms of escaping from a mixture. It is related to the partial pressure of the substance, but also accounts for non-ideal behavior due to intermolecular forces and volume effects. Fugacity is denoted by the symbol “f” and is typically expressed in units of pressure.
The relation between fugacity and thermodynamics is rooted in the concept of chemical potential. The chemical potential of a substance is a measure of its potential to undergo a change in state or composition. Fu… Read full answer