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Spontaneous process
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==Overview== In general, the spontaneity of a process only determines whether or not a process ''can'' occur and makes no indication as to whether or not the process ''will'' occur at an observable rate. In other words, spontaneity is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for a process to actually occur. Furthermore, spontaneity makes no implication as to the speed at which the spontaneous process may occur - just because a process is spontaneous does not mean it will happen quickly (or at all). As an example, the conversion of a [[diamond]] into [[graphite]] is a spontaneous process at room temperature and pressure. Despite being spontaneous, this process does not occur since the high [[activation energy]] of this reaction renders it too slow to observe.
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