Abstract
Abstract Diffusion in multicomponent systems is described by equations derived by Maxwell in 1866 from the kinetic theory of gases and, independently, by Stefan in 1871 on the basis of hydrodynamic laws. These equations are called the Maxwell-Stefan equations. Their modern derivation is a matter of irreversible thermodynamics, or of statistical mechanics. In the present paper, the Maxwell-Stefan equations are obtained from the equation adopted by Fick in 1855 for diffusion in binary systems. In addition, it is demonstrated that the Maxwell-Stefan equations can also be derived from the classical Lagrange equations valid for a system of bodies undergoing energy dissipation. The energy dissipation in such a system is assumed to obey the dissipation function proposed by Lord Rayleigh in 1873.
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