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Thermodynamics in Wilhelm Ostwald's Physical Chemistry

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2022

Robert J. Deltete
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Abstract

This essay focuses on the place of the second law of thermodynamics in Wilhelm Ostwald's physical chemistry. After a brief introduction to his energetic theory, which was supposed to be a generalization of thermodynamics, I contrast Ostwald's understanding of the second law, which ignored entropy and irreversibility, with Max Planck's, which emphasized both. I then consider how Ostwald sought to develop physical chemistry without any concern for irreversibility and little concern for entropy, and I argue that he was mistaken.

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Type
Research Article
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Philosophy of Science , Volume 77 , Issue 5 , December 2010 , pp. 888 - 899
Copyright
Copyright © The Philosophy of Science Association

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References

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