structuring information and entropy catalyst as information carrier结构化信息和熵作为信息载体催化剂.pdfVIP

Entropy 2006, 8[3], 113-130 Review Structuring Information and Entropy : Catalyst as Information Carrier Pierre J. Trambouze 20 avenue des Cottages, 69300, Caluire, France E-mail: ptrambouze @wanadoo.fr Received:16 March 2006 / Accep ted: 15 June 2006 / Published: 16 June 2006 _______________________________________________________________________________ Abstract: Many authors tried to exploit the similarities between expressions of the statistical thermodynamics for the entropy and those of Shannons information theory. In a new approach, we highlight the role of information involved in chemical systems, in particular in the interaction between catalysts and reactants, what we call structuring inf ormation. By means of examples, we present some applications of this concept to the biosphere, by visiting a very vast domain going from the appearance of life on earth to its present evolution. Keywords: information, entropy, negentropy, catalyst, transition state, enzyme, life, biochemical information ___________________________________________________________________ Introduction : Entropy and Information revisited The analogy between entropy and information has been proposed by many authors since Brillouin [1,2], who found similarities between expressions of the statistical thermodynamics for entropy and those of Shannons information theory [3]. For Boltzmann, entropy is linked to the number W of complexions of a system : S kB ln(W ) (1) k is known as Boltzmann’s constant = 1.38 x 10-23 J/molecule.K B Accordingly, the entropy S of a system can be expressed as follows: S k p ln(p ) (2) B i i p being the probability of an elementary state characterized by its i level of energy as well as by its spatial conformation. Relation (2) may iden