Are δs positive or negative for the spontaneous process and does entropy have to be negative to be spontaneous?
A spontaneous reaction is one that releases free energy, and so the sign of ΔG must be negative. Since both ΔH and ΔS can be either positive or negative, depending on the characteristics of the particular reaction, there are four different possible combinations. We can assess the spontaneity of the process by calculating the entropy change of the universe. If ΔSuniv is positive, then the process is spontaneous. So, clearly, a spontaneous reaction is possible with both when entropy change is negative and also when entropy change is positive. Therefore, a positive or negative change in entropy cannot predict if a reaction could be spontaneous, either.
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