In
thermodynamics,
chemical potential, also known as
partial molar free energy, is a form of
potential energy that can be absorbed or released during a chemical reaction. It may also change during a
phase transition. The chemical potential of a species in a mixture can be defined as the slope of the
free energy of the system with respect to a change in the number of moles of just that species. Thus, it is the
partial derivative of the free energy with respect to the amount of the species, all other species' concentrations in the mixture remaining constant, and at constant temperature. When pressure is constant, chemical potential is the partial molar
Gibbs free energy. At
chemical equilibrium or in
phase equilibrium the total sum of chemical potentials is zero, as the free energy is at a minimum.