**Exploration of Reaction Pathways for a Reactant W** A reactant W can undergo two distinct reactions to form either product X or product Y. This is illustrated in the free energy diagram provided. **Diagram Explanation:** - **Axes:** The vertical axis represents energy (E), and the horizontal axis is the reaction coordinate. - **Pathways:** - The pathway to product X is depicted by a curve with a peak, indicating the activation energy required. The endpoint for X is at a higher energy than Y. - The pathway to product Y also features a curve with a peak, but its endpoint is at a lower energy level than X. **Questions and Explanations:** a. **Label each Ea (activation energy) on the diagram:** - Ea is indicated by the peak of the curve for each pathway from the reactant W to the respective products X or Y. b. **Label each ΔH on the diagram:** - ΔH is the difference in energy between the starting point (W) and the endpoints (X or Y). c. **Which product would be favored under thermodynamic conditions?** - Under thermodynamic control, product Y would be favored because it is at a lower energy state, indicating greater stability. d. **Which product would be favored under kinetic conditions?** - Under kinetic control, product X would be favored because it has a lower activation energy barrier, making its formation faster. e. **How many mechanistic steps does this reaction have?** - The diagram suggests that each reaction pathway (from W to X and W to Y) involves a single mechanistic step, as indicated by the single peak for activation energy.
Basics in Organic Reactions Mechanisms
In organic chemistry, the mechanism of an organic reaction is defined as a complete step-by-step explanation of how a reaction of organic compounds happens. A completely detailed mechanism would relate the first structure of the reactants with the last structure of the products and would represent changes in structure and energy all through the reaction step.
Heterolytic Bond Breaking
Heterolytic bond breaking is also known as heterolysis or heterolytic fission or ionic fission. It is defined as breaking of a covalent bond between two different atoms in which one atom gains both of the shared pair of electrons. The atom that gains both electrons is more electronegative than the other atom in covalent bond. The energy needed for heterolytic fission is called as heterolytic bond dissociation energy.
Polar Aprotic Solvent
Solvents that are chemically polar in nature and are not capable of hydrogen bonding (implying that a hydrogen atom directly linked with an electronegative atom is not found) are referred to as polar aprotic solvents. Some commonly used polar aprotic solvents are acetone, DMF, acetonitrile, DMSO, etc.
Oxygen Nucleophiles
Oxygen being an electron rich species with a lone pair electron, can act as a good nucleophile. Typically, oxygen nucleophiles can be found in these compounds- water, hydroxides and alcohols.
Carbon Nucleophiles
We are aware that carbon belongs to group IV and hence does not possess any lone pair of electrons. Implying that neutral carbon is not a nucleophile then how is carbon going to be nucleophilic? The answer to this is that when a carbon atom is attached to a metal (can be seen in the case of organometallic compounds), the metal atom develops a partial positive charge and carbon develops a partial negative charge, hence making carbon nucleophilic.
Activation energy is defined as the energy difference between reactent molecule and transition state.
It is defined as the amount of energy absorbed by reactant molecule to cross the energy barrier.
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