Systems in nature tend to undergo changes toward
(1) lower energy and lower entropy
(2) lower energy and higher entropy
(3) higher energy and lower entropy
(4) higher energy and higher entropy

1. suppose a reaction mixture, when diluted with water, afforded 300 ml of an aqueous solution of 30 g of the reaction product malononitrile [ch2(cn)2], which is to be isolated by extraction with ether. the solubility of malononitrile in ether at room temperature is 20.0 g/100 ml, and in water is 13.3 g/100 ml. what weight of malononitrile would be recovered by extraction with (a) three 100-ml portions of ether and (b) one 300-ml portion of ether? suggestion: for each extraction, let x equal the weight extracted into the ether layer. in part (a), the concentration in the ether layer is x/100 and in the water layer is (30 x)/300; the ratio of these quantities is equal to k 20/13.3.