A chemical-physics test for nonextensivity in thermodynamics

An ideal mixture of parahydrogen (with nuclear spin K=0) and orthohydrogen (with K=1), in statistical weights 1/4 and 3/4, respectively, is used as a test ground for the existence of non-extensivity in chemical physics. We report on a new bound on the non extensivity parameter q - 1 that characterizes generalized thermostatistics a la Tsallis. This bound is obtained on the basis of laboratory measurements of the specific heat of hydrogen. Suggestions are advanced for the performance of improved measurements.Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y GeofísicasFacultad de Ciencias ExactasInstituto de Física La Plat