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In this paper, we consider an optimal control problem in the equilibrium thermodynamics of gases. The thermodynamic state of the gas is given by a Legendrian submanifold in a contact thermodynamic space. Using Pontryagin’s maximum principle, we find a thermodynamic process in this submanifold such that the gas maximizes the work functional. For ideal gases, this problem is shown to be integrable in Liouville’s sense and its solution is given by means of action-angle variables. For real gases considered to be a perturbation of ideal ones, the integrals are given asymptotically.