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In chemistry, the transition state of a chemical reaction is a particular configuration along the reaction coordinate. It is defined as the state corresponding to the highest potential energy along this reaction coordinate. [1] It is often marked with the double dagger (‡) symbol.
These so-called activation parameters give insight into the nature of a transition state, including energy content and degree of order, compared to the starting materials and has become a standard tool for elucidation of reaction mechanisms in physical organic chemistry. The free energy of activation, ΔG ‡, is defined in transition state ...
In theoretical chemistry, molecular electronic transitions take place when electrons in a molecule are excited from one energy level to a higher energy level. The energy change associated with this transition provides information on the structure of the molecule and determines many of its properties, such as colour.
While free energy change describes the stability of products relative to reactants, the rate of any reaction is defined by the energy of the transition state relative to the starting material. Depending on these parameters, a reaction can be favorable or unfavorable, fast or slow and reversible or irreversible, as shown in figure 8.
Energy diagrams showing how to interpret Hammond's Postulate. In case (a), which is an exothermic reaction, the energy of the transition state is closer in energy to that of the reactant than that of the intermediate or the product. Therefore, from the postulate, the structure of the transition state also more closely resembles that of the ...
An energy transition is a broad shift in technologies and behaviours that are needed to replace one source of energy with another. [14]: 202–203 A prime example is the change from a pre-industrial system relying on traditional biomass, wind, water and muscle power to an industrial system characterized by pervasive mechanization, steam power and the use of coal.
Transition states only represent the highest potential energy configuration of the atoms during the reaction, while activated complex refers to a range of configurations near the transition state. In a reaction coordinate , the transition state is the configuration at the maximum of the diagram while the activated complex can refer to any point ...
The transition state of the latter reactions has to meet structural and energetic conditions, redox reactions have only to comply to the energy requirement. Whereas the geometry of the transition state in the other reactions is the same for all pairs of reactants, for redox pairs many polarization environments may meet the energetic conditions.