Thermodynamics · undergrad

Chemical Potential

The change in thermodynamic potential when particle number changes.

Published Apr 26, 2026 · 1 min

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Definition

The chemical potential is

\mu=\left(\frac{\partial G}{\partial N}\right)_{T,p}.

Particle exchange equilibrates chemical potentials. If two systems can exchange particles, equilibrium requires their $\mu$ values to match.

The thermodynamic potential suited to constant temperature and pressure.

The statistical object from which thermodynamic quantities are derived.