A differential equation that describes the relationship between variables when there is a change in the state of a system. In a system that has two phases of the same substance, for example solid and liquid, heat is added or taken away very slowly so that one phase can change reversibly into the other while the system remains at equilibrium. If the two phases are denoted A and B, the Clapeyron–Clausius equation is:
where p is the pressure, T is the thermodynamic temperature, L is the heat absorbed per mole in the change from A to B, and VB and VA are the volumes of B and A respectively. In the case of a transition from liquid to vapour, the volume of the liquid can be ignored. Taking the vapour to be an ideal gas, the Clapeyron–Clausius equation can be written:
The Clapeyron–Clausius equation is named after the French engineer Benoit-Pierre-Émile Clapeyron (1799–1864) and the German physicist Rudolf Julius Emmanuel Clausius (1822–88).