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are held constant, the internal energy decreases and reaches a minimum value at equilibrium. This follows from the first and second laws of thermodynamics and is called the principle of minimum energy. The following three statements are directly derivable from this principle.
* When the temperature and external parameters of a closed system are held constant, the Helmholtz free energy decreases and reaches a minimum value at equilibrium.
* When the pressure and external parameters of a closed system are held constant, the enthalpy

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