The process of freezing water involves a transition from liquid to solid. To evaluate the options provided, we need to look at the thermodynamic changes that occur during this phase change.
During freezing, water molecules lose energy as they cool down, leading to a negative change in enthalpy (i.e., heat is released to the surroundings). Therefore, the enthalpy change is indeed negative.
Now, regarding entropy, freezing results in a more ordered structure as the molecules arrange into a solid lattice. This decrease in randomness signifies a negative change in entropy.
Considering the key points:
– Enthalpy change: negative
– Temperature: low (as the phase transition occurs below 0°C for water)
– Entropy change: negative
Thus, the best option that describes the freezing of water is:
Option B: negative change in enthalpy, low temperature, and negative entropy.