Chemistry / Unit 11 Chem 2066 short lesson, about 20 seconds
A Spontaneous Direction Is Nonspontaneous Reversed
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The idea
A process spontaneous in one direction under given conditions is nonspontaneous in the reverse direction under those same conditions.
In practice
Iron rusts spontaneously in moist air, but rust never spontaneously reverts to iron and oxygen.
Where people slip
"Nonspontaneous" does not mean impossible — it means the reverse direction needs a continual outside energy input to proceed.
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