# The importance of thermodynamics for molecular systems, and the importance of molecular systems for thermodynamics

## TL;DR

This paper discusses how thermodynamics is crucial for understanding and designing molecular systems, and how studying these systems is advancing thermodynamic theories at the microscopic level.

## Contribution

It highlights the reciprocal relationship between molecular systems and thermodynamics, emphasizing the importance of thermodynamics in molecular network design and the development of microscopic thermodynamic theories.

## Key findings

- Thermodynamics influences molecular network potential and design.
- Understanding molecular systems drives new thermodynamic theories.
- The review emphasizes pedagogical insights into molecular thermodynamics.

## Abstract

Improved understanding of molecular systems has only emphasised the sophistication of networks within the cell. Simultaneously, the advance of nucleic acid nanotechnology, a platform within which reactions can be exquisitely controlled, has made the development of artificial architectures and devices possible. Vital to this progress has been a solid foundation in the thermodynamics of molecular systems. In this pedagogical review and perspective, I will discuss how thermodynamics determines both the overall potential of molecular networks, and the minute details of design. I will then argue that, in turn, the need to understand molecular systems is helping to drive the development of theories of thermodynamics at the microscopic scale.