Abstract
THE theory of chemical kinetics owes much of its development to the ease with which organic reactions lend themselves to convenient measurement, but the debt has been amply repaid, for kinetic studies have contributed very materially to the elucidation of the mechanism of organic processes. The importance of the kinetic method in the study of mechanism was demonstrated many years ago, particularly by Lapworth, Orton and others in the early years of the present century. More recently, it has been given enhanced value by the important advances in the physical interpretation of kinetic data (especially in liquid systems), and it has played a notable part in the rapid development which the theory of organic reactions has undergone since the enunciation of the electronic theory of valency. Of the conclusions derived from investigations in this field in the last decade, one of the most important, and one which is widely illustrated in this discussion, is that a reaction may follow different mechanisms in not very drastically altered circumstances. This fact emphasizes still further the importance of kinetic control in the study of reactions. With the aid of kinetics, chemical behaviour can be related to mechanism and its determining factors, chemical structure and physical conditions, and the solution of outstanding problems can thus be greatly facilitated.
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HUGHES, E. MECHANISM AND CHEMICAL KINETICS OF ORGANIC REACTION IN LIQUID SYSTEM. Nature 149, 126–130 (1942). https://doi.org/10.1038/149126a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/149126a0