What is a reaction mechanism?
Q: What is a reaction mechanism?
A: A reaction mechanism is a step-by-step explanation of how a chemical reaction works.
Q: Why is it important to understand all the steps in a reaction mechanism?
A: It's important to understand all the steps in a reaction mechanism to understand difficult reactions or try to make a reaction work in a certain way.
Q: What are intermediates in a chemical reaction?
A: Intermediates are the things made in between react too quickly to be seen in a chemical reaction.
Q: What is a transition state in a chemical reaction?
A: A transition state is crossed in going from one intermediate to another during a chemical reaction.
Q: What are the more common types of reaction mechanisms in organic chemistry?
A: The more common types of reaction mechanisms in organic chemistry are nucleophilic substitution, elimination, and addition.
Q: What is arrow pushing in a chemical reaction mechanism?
A: Arrow pushing is sometimes used to draw how electrons move around during a reaction. This makes it easy to see which bonds are formed and which are broken during the process.
Q: What information can be gained from understanding a reaction mechanism?
A: Understanding a reaction mechanism can provide information about how to make a reaction work the way you want it to or to understand more difficult reactions.
