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Non-equilibrium thermodynamics is a branch of physics that studies the dynamics of statistical ensembles of molecules via unstable states. Being "stuck" in a thermodynamic trough without being at the lowest energy state is known as having kinetic stability or being kinetically persistent.
Steady-states can be stable or unstable. A steady-state is unstable if a small perturbation in one or more of the concentrations results in the system diverging from its state. In contrast, if a steady-state is stable, any perturbation will relax back to the original steady state. Further details can be found on the page Stability theory.
In chemistry, chemical stability is the thermodynamic stability of a chemical system, in particular a chemical compound or a polymer. [ 1 ] Chemical stability may also refer to the shelf-life of a particular chemical compound; that is the duration of time before it begins to degrade in response to environmental factors.
In chemistry, a steady state is a more general situation than dynamic equilibrium. While a dynamic equilibrium occurs when two or more reversible processes occur at the same rate, and such a system can be said to be in a steady state, a system that is in a steady state may not necessarily be in a state of dynamic equilibrium, because some of ...
A ball located at this point, ball 3, is in equilibrium but unstable; the slightest disturbance will cause it to move to one of the stable points. Light switch, a bistable mechanism. In a dynamical system, bistability means the system has two stable equilibrium states. [1] A bistable structure can be resting in either of two states.
Bauer formulated the "Universal Law of Biology" in the following edition: "All and only living systems are never in equilibrium and perform constant work at the expense of their free energy against the equilibrium required by the laws of physics and chemistry under existing external conditions".
It is possible for an ecosystem or a community to be stable in some of their properties and unstable in others. For example, a vegetation community in response to a drought might conserve biomass but lose biodiversity. [3] Stable ecological systems abound in nature, and the scientific literature has documented them to a great extent.
All chemical transformations pass through an unstable structure called the transition state, which is poised between the chemical structures of the substrates and products. The transition states for chemical reactions are proposed to have lifetimes near 10 −13 seconds, on the order of the time of a single bond vibration. No physical or ...