ΔG = ΔH - TΔS

Reactant and product concentrations affect the ΔS term and therefore determine whether ΔG is positive or negative at a standard temperature. However, most biochemistry texts do little to connect the sign of ΔG in this function to the concentration variables that determine it, and instead rely exclusively on the equation

to relate these parameters. This can have the undesirable effect of rendering the Gibbs equation irrelevant for these students. For the biochemistry instructor, the challenge is to clarify the role of entropy in determining reaction directionality without digressing into aspects of thermodynamic theory that would be more appropriately covered in other courses. A model to explain the concentration dependence of the ΔS term is presented in a format that is appropriate for an audience of biochemistry students, and the concepts are illustrated using an aqueous phase reaction, the anomeric conversion of glucose.