Refined Thermodynamic Uncertainty Relation for Chemical Reactions

TL;DR

This paper derives a new thermodynamic uncertainty relation for chemical reactions that links Gibbs free energy, chemical potential, and reaction precision, applicable regardless of substance conservation, with numerical validation on model systems.

Contribution

It introduces a novel time-energy uncertainty relation for chemical reactions based on Gibbs free energy and chemical potential, valid for non-conserved substances.

Findings

Derived a general uncertainty relation for chemical reactions.

Validated the relation using Belousov-Zhabotinsky and Michaelis-Menten models.

Provides a framework for measuring thermodynamic properties out of equilibrium.

Abstract

Thermodynamic uncertainty relations elucidate the intricate balance between the precision of current and the thermodynamic costs or dissipation, marking a recent and enthralling advancement at the confluence of statistical mechanics, thermodynamics, and information theory. In this study, we derive a time-energy uncertainty relation tailored for chemical reactions, expressed in terms of the Gibbs free energy and chemical potential. This inequality holds true irrespective of whether the total substance of chemical species is conserved during the reaction. Furthermore, it supports the general thermodynamic framework by ensuring the spontaneous decrease in Gibbs free energy. We present two formulations of the thermodynamic uncertainty relation: one based on chemical species concentrations and the other on molar fractions. The validity of our inequalities is numerically demonstrated using model systems of the Belousov-Zhabotinsky and Michaelis-Menten reactions. Our uncertainty relation may find practical applications in measuring and optimizing thermodynamic properties relevant to chemical reaction systems out of equilibrium.