
Diagrams of stable equilibrium and unstable equilibrium as a function of the potential energy of a reaction or process versus the extent of reaction. [1]

Diagrams of stable equilibrium and unstable equilibrium as a function of the potential energy of a reaction or process versus the extent of reaction. [1]

In thermodynamics, stability is quantified by a system being located at the bottom of a potential energy well. Belgian chemist Ilya Prigogine argues that stabilities have a different meaning in the far-from-equilibrium range. [1]

See also
● Muller stability ratio
● Principle of substance stability

References
1. Prigogine, Ilya. (1996). The End of Certainty: Time, Chaos, and the New Laws of Nature (stability, 6+ pgs, graph, pg. 30). Free Press.

Further reading
● Perrot, Pierre. (1998). A to Z of Thermodynamics (stability, pgs. 280-83). Oxford University Press.