Preface

Thermodynamics is one of the most exciting branches of physical chemistry which has greatly contributed to the modern science. Since its inception, great minds have built their theories of thermodynamics. One should name those of Sadi Carnot, Clapeyron Claussius, Maxwell, Boltzman, Bernoulli, Leibniz etc. Josiah Willard Gibbs had perhaps the greatest scientific influence on the development of thermodynamics. His attention was for some time focused on the study of the Watt steam engine. Analysing the balance of the machine, Gibbs began to develop a method for calculating the variables involved in the processes of chemical equilibrium. He deduced the phase rule which determines the degrees of freedom of a physicochemical system based on the number of system components and the number of phases. He also identified a new state function of thermodynamic system, the so-called free energy or Gibbs energy (G), which allows spontaneity and ensures a specific physicochemical process (such as a chemical reaction or a change of state) experienced by a system without interfering with the environment around it. The essential feature of thermodynamics and the difference between it and other branches of science is that it incorporates the concept of heat or thermal energy as an important part in the energy systems. The nature of heat was not always clear. Today we know that the random motion of molecules is the essence of heat. Some aspects of thermodynamics are so general and deep that they even deal with philosophical issues. These issues also deserve a deeper consideration, before tackling the technical details. The reason is a simple one - before one does anything, one must understand what they want.

In the past, historians considered thermodynamics as a science that is isolated, but in recent years scientists have incorporated more friendly approach to it and have demonstrated a wide range of applications of thermodynamics.

These four volumes of applied thermodynamics, gathered in an orderly manner, present a series of contributions by the finest scientists in the world and a wide range of applications of thermodynamics in various fields. These fields include the environmental science, mathematics, biology, fluid and the materials science. These four volumes of thermodynamics can be used in post-graduate courses for students and as reference books, since they are written in a language pleasing to the reader.

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They can also serve as a reference material for researchers to whom the thermodynamics is one of the area of interest.

> **Juan Carlos Moreno-Piraján** Department of Chemistry

University of the Andes Colombia

Agnieszka K. Bronowska

*Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies Heidelberg, Germany* 
