Equilibrium Between Phases of Matter: Phenomenology and Thermodynamics (2008)

This book is organized in three levels, such that from level to level the portion and importance of thermodynamics and mathematics are increased. On the first level, the book demonstrates that the basic principles of phase equilibria can be understood without the use of thermodynamics. The intermediate level provides an introduction to thermodynamics and culminates in the Gibbs energy as the arbiter for equilibrium. The third level places emphasis on binary systems, where one or more phases are solutions of the components. It derives explicit relationships between the variables for equilibria involving ideal mixtures and ideal dilute solutions, while non-ideal systems are treated from three different angles: geometrically, analytically, and numerically. Throughout, high priority is given to the thermodynamic assessment of experimental data and numerous end-of-chapter exercises and their solutions are included.