Background, Nov. 04, 2008, video by Libb Thims on his interest in thermodynamics in relation to the predictions of human chemical reactions via the spontaneity criterion.

In science, Libb Thims (c. 1975-) is an American chemical engineer, electrical engineer, and thermodynamicist known for his work and research in the areas of human chemistry and human thermodynamics. Thims' central research has been to elucidate, quantitatively, how the basic, multi-year human reproduction reaction , i.e. relationship, sex, and offspring production, which 85% of people go through, can be energetically predicted, via free energy determinations, as are other chemical reactions. To elaborate, using two hypothetical human mating reactions, shown below:

M + F1 → B1

M + F2 → B2

where M is one male, F1 is a one hypothetical female, F2 is a second hypothetical female, B1 is a child product of the first pairing, and B2 is a child product of the second pairing, pairing feasibility can be understood via chemical thermodynamics, namely by the fundamental equation characterizing the relation between affinity A and free energy G change:

A = – ΔG

in conjunction with the spontaneity criterion rule defining spontaneous reactions:

ΔG < 0

In short, whichever mating reaction actuates a greater negative change in the Gibbs free energy, where G is a function of enthalpy and entropy:

ΔG = ΔH – TΔS

will be more energetically-favored and less prone to divorce (debonding). Beyond this, there are complicating issues associated with the quantification of external forces, chemical potential factors, gravity, equilibrium effects, system boundary issues, etc., factors that each effect human chemical reactions.

Overview
Thims' central interest, which began as a chemical engineering student in 1995, has been to understand how human relationships work or operate energetically according to the science of chemical thermodynamics, in particular human chemical reaction prediction using the logic of spontaneity as embodied in free energy tables. Thims maintains one of the world's largest thermodynamics book collections.

Human Chemistry (2007)

The Human Molecule (2008)

In 2002, in efforts to coordinate writings on the thermodynamic study of human life, Thims founded the Institute of Human Thermodynamics, a non-profit, educational-minded, global network of human thermodynamicists. In 2005, Thims started the Journal of Human Thermodynamics, ISSN 1559-386X, a place for publication of articles on the thermodynamics of human life. In 2007, Thims and Russian physical chemist Georgi Gladyshev started the Encyclopedia of Human Thermodynamics.

In September 2007, building on the shoulders of Johann von Goethe, with his 1809 Elective Affinities, and American navel engineer William Fairburn, with his 1914 booklet Human Chemistry, Thims published Human Chemistry (Volume One) and Human Chemistry (Volume Two), the world's first-ever standardized textbook on human chemistry (824-pages). [1] In March of 2008, Thims published his second book The Human Molecule, a short outline of the historical development of the conception of the human being as an individual ‘molecule’, i.e. "human molecule".

Thims ideas on human thermodynamics and human molecules, to note, were developed in a duplicate manner, but independent, to those of American historian Henry Adams (1910) and English physicist Charles Galton Darwin (1952).

Side projects
YouTube's Human Chemistry 101 channel was started in 2008 by Thims, scheduled as a semi-weekly educational video series on the chemistry of human interactions. Thims is currently involved in the algorithm development of the 2012 beta-stage, science-based pair-matching site ReactionMatch.com (logo shown below), motto: “matching affinities in love the chemical reaction”. Other related dating/matching sites, by comparison, are slowly being categorized by Thims at the new DatingSitesWiki.

Short history of thermodynamic interest

See main: Libb Thims (history) and Human Chemistry (textbook) (origin)

Thims originally had developed his interest or rather curiosity about the potential chemical thermodynamic operation of human life in 1995, while an undergraduate chemical engineering student in a senior level thermodynamics class at the University of Michigan. During this course, he began to wonder if anyone had ever applied the logic of chemical reaction prediction, as embodied in standard thermodynamic tables of free energies, enthalpies, and entropies, to the extrapolative prediction of human chemical reactions, such as between potential intimate pairs in reproductive reactions?

Gladyshev and Thims

See main: Gladyshev and Thims

Of significant influence to Thims, was the work of Russian physical chemist Georgi Gladyshev. [2] In particular, sometime between 2002 to 2004, during which Thims began to undertake the project of writing a short book on the subject of "human thermodynamics", Thims had come across a number of individuals who seemed to be using a similar logic, in certain respects, to his own, including: Ilya Prigogine, John Avery, Jing Chin, David Hwang, and Gladyshev, among others. In this group, Gladyshev seemed to be the closest competion in that he was using a fully-rigorous Gibbs free energy based thermodynamic approach to the evolution of life.

Education
BS Chemical Engineering - University of Michigan
BS Electrical Engineering - University of Michigan
MS Physics/PhD Biochemistry/MD Neuroscience (all in progress)

Awards
● G. Brymer Williams Academic Scholarship (chemical engineering) of $1000 (University of Michigan).
● Elected in 2006 as member-correspondent of the International Academy of Creative Endeavors. [3]
● Awarded the 2008 medal Order of Mikhailo Lamonosov (adjacent), National Committee of social - public premium, Russia, N 104 (148).

Citations and conferences

See main: Libb Thims (citations)

Thims' work and theories, beginning in 2006, have been referenced and discussed in several journal articles, magazines, conferences, symposiums, and meetings as listed in the attached link.

Publications

See main: Libb Thims (publications), See main: Working papers

The core precept of human thermodynamics, arrived at by many after several years of study of thermodynamics applied to human existence, e.g. Henry Adams, Pierre Teilhard, C.G. Darwin, etc., is the understanding that when viewing a “system” of people, as in a society (social system), one is actually viewing a system of "human molecules", no different than any other system of reactive molecules attached to substrate. The following is the 2008 book The Human Molecule (120-pages) by Thims, readable via DocStoc.com, a book functioning as basic starting point for those interested in human thermodynamics:

References
1. (a) Thims, Libb. (2007). Human Chemistry (Volume One), (preview). Morrisville, NC: LuLu.
(b) Thims, Libb. (2007). Human Chemistry (Volume Two), (preview). Morrisville, NC: LuLu.
(c) Press release: World’s first-ever textbook on the Chemistry of Love - September 27, 2007, 3:00 EST (PR.com)
(d) The entire writing project took 18-months and 14-days to complete.
2. (a) Gladyshev, Georgi, P. (1978). "On the Thermodynamics of Biological Evolution", Journal of Theoretical Biology, Vol. 75, Issue 4, Dec 21, pp. 425-441.
(b) Gladyshev, Georgi, P. (1997). Thermodynamic Theory of the Evolution of Living Beings. Commack, New York: Nova Science Publishers.
3. List category: “Leading representatives of foreign science” (English) (Russian) – International Academy of Creative Endeavors.

External links
● Libb Thims – LibbThims.com
● Libb Thims (LinkedIn)
● About :: Libb Thims – Institute of Human Thermodynamics
● Libb Thims’ Storefront (books) – LuLu.com
● Libb Thims - Open Library.
● Libb Thims’ T-Shirts and Posters – Zazzle.com
● Libb Thims’ All-Time Favorite Self-Derived Quotes – HumanThermodynamics.com
● Libb Thims – GoodReads.com