A 25.0-L volume of an ideal gas in a cylinder with a piston is at a pressure of 2.8 atm. Enough weight is suddenly removed from the piston to lower the external pressure to 1.4 atm. The gas then expands at constant temperature until its pressure is 1.4 atm.The change in the internal energy of a system, ΔE, for an isothermal expansion of an ideal gas is 0. Use this information in your calculations for this problem.Find the change in the internal energy of a system for this change in state.

The formation of aluminum oxide from its elements is highly exothermic. If 2.70 g Al metal is burned in pure O2 to give A12O3, calculate how much thermal energy is evolved in the process (at constant pressure).

Coal is used as a fuel in some electric-generating plants. Coal is a complex material, but for simplicity we may consider it to be a form of carbon. The energy that can be derived from a fuel is sometimes compared with the enthalpy of the combustion reaction: C(s)+O2(g)CO2(g) Calculate the standard enthalpy change for this reaction at 25C. Actually, only a fraction of the heat from this reaction is available to produce electric energy. In electric generating plants, this reaction is used to generate heat for a steam engine, which turns the generator. Basically the steam engine is a type of heat engine in which steam enters the engine at high temperature (Th), work is done, and the steam then exits at a lower temperature (Tl). The maximum fraction, f, of heat available to produce useful energy depends on the difference between these temperatures (expressed in kelvins), f = (Th Tl)/Th. What is the maximum heat energy available for useful work from the combustion of 1.00 mol of C(s) to CO2(g)? (Assume the value of H calculated at 25C for the heat obtained in the generator.) It is possible to consider more efficient ways to obtain useful energy from a fuel. For example, methane can be burned in a fuel cell to generate electricity directly. The maximum useful energy obtained in these cases is the maximum work, which equals the free-energy change. Calculate the standard free-energy change for the combustion of 1.00 mol of C(s) to CO2(g). Compare this value with the maximum obtained with the heat engine described here.

How is the sign of q, heat, defined? How does it relate to the total energy of the system?