Reaction mechanism in organic chemistry
Reaction mechanism: An organic reaction mechanism is a complete, step-by-step account of how a reaction of organic compounds takes place. The description of an organic reaction mechanism typically includes designation of the overall reaction type (viz. substitution, addition, elimination, reduction, oxidation, or rearrangement), the presence of any reactive intermediates, the nature of the reagent that initiates the reaction, the presence of any catalysis, and its stereochemistry. A common method for showing the progress of a reaction is a potential energy diagram, which plots the free energy of the system as a function of the completion of the reaction. The highest point along the reaction pathway called the transition state. The transition state indicates how easily the reaction can occur. One of the other ways to illustrate the steps involved in a reaction mechanism is a kinetic scheme, which shows all the individual reaction steps and their rate constants. The energ...