In thermodynamics, the system is defined as
- A. everything in the universe
- B. the container only
- C. the energy of the reaction
- D. the part of the universe under study, separated from the surroundings by a boundary
Explanation
The system is whatever the chemist chooses to study, usually the reacting substances, and everything else is the surroundings, with the boundary between them being real or imaginary. An isolated system exchanges neither matter nor energy, a closed system exchanges energy only and an open system exchanges both. A reaction in an open beaker is therefore an open system.