Chemical Potential is the energy possessed by any atom, molecule, macromolecule, or particle of matter. It is the energy level of that molecule or…
- The chemical potential equation has many energy terms because many things influence this energy level.
o Concentration: (a difference in concentration leads to spontaneous net motion)
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o Voltage: acts on charged particles raising their energy level
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(96485 Coul/mole)
o Pressure: air pressure or surrounding pressure that acts on a volume
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…volume/molecule
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Interactions with Environment: for example, as
sugar dissolves, the energy of hydrogen bonds formed must be represented by 
- The chemical potential, µ, is represented as follows
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- Therefore, the change in chemical potential, Δµ, in the same environment, is represented by the following
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is eliminated because the change occurs in the
same environment
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Derivation of Boltzmann’s equation from the chemical potential
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At equilibrium, the change in energy is zero;
therefore 
,for simplicity assume 
- We can rearrange the chemical potential equation as follows:
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Boltzmann’s Equation: 
Important: Note that the energy in the exponent includes all the energy terms in the chemical potential equation except for the concentration term. Why?