Past exam of the chemistry A course of the University of Cambridge / 2025 / Paper 2 / A7 / b / iii

The substituted molecule has the larger entropy. Increased mass and moment of inertia reduce translational and rotational spacings and make more states thermally accessible. The largest contribution here is the loss of the twofold rotational indistinguishability of the oxygen ends, contributing $R\log 2$. It is a rotational symmetry number correction for one isotope-defined species, not an entropy of mixing between different molecules.