4/15/2019 kT (energy) - Wikipedia

kT (energy)
kT (also written as kBT) is the product of the Boltzmann constant, k
(or kB), and the temperature, T. This product is used in physics as a Approximate values of kT at 298 K Units
scale factor for energy values in molecular-scale systems (sometimes kT = 4.11 × 10−21 J
it is used as a unit of energy), as the rates and frequencies of many
kT = 4.114 pN⋅nm
processes and phenomena depend not on their energy alone, but on
−22 cal
the ratio of that energy and kT, that is, on E / kT (see Arrhenius kT = 9.83 × 10
equation, Boltzmann factor). For a system in equilibrium in kT = 25.7 meV
canonical ensemble, the probability of the system being in state with Related quantities
energy E is proportional to e−ΔE / kT.
kT/hc ≈ 207 [1] cm−1
More fundamentally, kT is the amount of heat required to increase kT/e = 25.7 mV
the thermodynamic entropy of a system, in natural units, by one nat.
RT = kT ⋅ NA = 2.479 kJ⋅mol−1
E / kT therefore represents an amount of entropy per molecule,
measured in natural units. RT = 0.593 kcal⋅mol−1

h/kT = 0.16 ps
In macroscopic scale systems, with large numbers of molecules, RT
value is commonly used; its SI units are joules per mole (J/mol):
(RT = kT ⋅ NA).

RT
RT is the product of the molar gas constant, R, and the temperature, T. This product is used in physics as a scaling factor
for energy values in macroscopic scale (sometimes it is used as a pseudo-unit of energy), as many processes and
phenomena depend not on the energy alone, but on the ratio of energy and RT, i.e. E/RT. The SI units for RT are joules
per mole (J/mol).

It differs from kT only by a factor of Avogadro's number. Its dimension is energy or [M L2 T−2], expressed in SI units as
joules (J):

kT = RT /NA

References
1. "Google Unit Converter" (https://www.google.ca/search?ei=VzDnW4mbLOfMjwS694DYCw&q=k*298Kelvin%2Fh%2F
c+in+cm%5E-1&oq=k*298Kelvin%2Fh%2Fc+in+cm%5E-1&gs_l=psy-ab.3...2293.2598.0.3103.2.2.0.0.0.0.125.214.1j
1.2.0....0...1.1.64.psy-ab..0.0.0....0.gYQvcs3LZis). Google. Retrieved 10 November 2018.

Atkins' Physical Chemistry, 9th ed., by P. Atkins and J. dePaula, Oxford University Press

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