The term
represents the portion
of an energy change (
H) that is available to
do useful work. If
H is the total energy in
a reaction, then
G =
H -T
S indicates that part of
H is alway
dissipated as heat (the T
S term) and is therefore
unavailable for other things, such as muscle contraction, ion
transport, or tissue growth. The remaining amount (
) is available
for useful work, but may not actually be fully utilized for useful
work because the efficiency of a process (the ratio of work actually
accomplished to
, the maximum work available) is always
less than 100%.