Equilibrium chemistry is concerned with systems in chemical equilibrium. The unifying principle is that the free energy of a system at equilibrium is the minimum possible, so that the slope of the free energy with respect to the reaction coordinate is zero.[1][2] This principle, applied to mixtures at equilibrium provides a definition of an equilibrium constant. Applications include acid–base, host–guest, metal–complex, solubility, partition, chromatography and redox equilibria.
- ^ Denbeigh, K. (1981). The principles of chemical equilibrium (4th ed.). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-28150-4.
- ^ De Nevers, N. (2002). Physical and Chemical Equilibrium for Chemical Engineers. ISBN 978-0-471-07170-9.