Chemical Reaction Mechanisms

A reaction mechanism is the step by step sequence of elementary reactions by which an overall chemical reaction occurs.

A conjectured mechanism is chosen because it is thermodynamically feasible and has experimental support in isolated intermediates or other quantitative and qualitative characteristics of the reaction.

A complete mechanism must explain the reason for the reactants and catalyst used, the stereochemistry observed in reactants and products, all products formed, and the amount of each.

<p>A chemical mechanism is a theoretical conjecture that tries to describe in detail what takes place at each stage of an overall chemical reaction.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The electron or arrow pushing method is often used in illustrating a chemical reaction mechanism.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry that involves the scientific study of the structure, properties, and reactions of organic compounds and organic materials.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The study of structure in organic chemistry determines the structural formula of organic compounds.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The study of properties in organic chemistry includes physical and chemical properties, as well as the evaluation of chemical reactivity to understand the behavior of organic compounds.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The study of organic reactions involves the chemical synthesis of natural products, drugs, and polymers, as well as the study of individual organic molecules in the laboratory and through theoretical (in silico) study.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Compounds studied in organic chemistry can contain carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, phosphorus, and the halogens.</p> Signup and view all the answers