What is strength?

How do chemists understand the word strength? We use the term for binding, acids, ion content, and many other chemical phenomena. If we are considering supramolecular chemistry, we commonly make a comparison between the strength of one intermolecular interaction to another, or the overall binding between multiple guests for a particular host. This can be confusing, because sometimes we are referring to enthalpy and sometimes Gibbs free energy. As with energy, strength is relative, and in all cases the binding is grounded to a reference state called the standard state. This standard state has predetermined experimental conditions, set by chemists in the past. What if we decide to change the standard state in our analysis? In this Eric’s Corner, we analyse these topics, explore their interdependence, and make connections to one of my favourite TV shows: Star Trek.