Questions tagged [reactivity]
Applied to a chemical species, the term expresses a kinetic property in reference to another species. The tag should be applied to questions seeking answers with respect to the reactivity (or unreactivity) of a certain chemical compound, species, molecular entity and/or functional groups. It must not be applied to questions about the stability of certain chemical species.
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Why are beta-ketoacids better at decarboxylation than gamma or delta?
My book claims that beta-ketoacids and beta-dicarboxylic acids are better at decarboxylating than their gamma and delta counterparts. Why is that?
I would assume that since gamma and delta keto-acids ...
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Determination of products in reactions involving carbocation rearrangement?
How do you determine the "migratory aptitude" of various groups during carbocation rearrangements? Is there a experimentally determined order?
For example, what will be the product in case ...
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Do epoxide rings react with bases?
We've learned in class that epoxide ring openings can be catalyized with acids, and I seem to recall either the professor or a classmate mentioning that they also react with bases, but some quick ...
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Is methoxide a better nucleophile than hydroxide?
What is more nucleophilic, $\ce{OH-}$ or $\ce{CH3O-}$?
When I look it from the viewpoint of steric hindrance, the answer seems to be $\ce{OH-}$, but when I see it from the viewpoint of extra electron ...
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Can someone explain the unintuitive ordering in the metallic activity series?
I would understand it if the metallic activity series Li, Cs, Rb, ... Pt, Au corresponded to electronegativity or ionization energy. However, the way it is written, ...
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Comparing SN2 reaction rates
I've read in a book that the main factor for determining SN2 reaction rate is steric hindrance. The lesser it is, the faster the reaction.
So consider this question:
$\ce{KI}$ in acetone undergoes ...
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Dehalogenation of vicinal dihalides
Why, among different metals, only zinc is favourable for the dehalogenation of vicinal dihalides?
user33495
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How do we know whether we will get a mono substituted or tri-substituted product during electrophilic aromatic substitution?
For example consider the bromination of phenol we get the tri-substituted product (even though bromine is deactivating so I suppose it should deactivate the ring with each addition) while sulphonation ...
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Why is benzenediazonium fluoroborate water insoluble and stable at room temperature?
Benzenediazonium fluoroborate is water insoluble and stable at room temperature.
Why is this salt, water insoluble? Also I am told that benzenediazonium salts are stable only at low temperature(<5°...
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What noble metal is most resistant to oxidation by diatomic oxygen in air at room and elevated temperatures?
To clarify, by noble metals in this case I mean all platinum metals + gold, no copper, silver or rhenium. These noble metals are described as having low reactivity, but which one is least reactive or ...
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Phenol or ethanol as a nucleophile for ether formation?
If we react phenol with $\ce{C2H5I}$ in $\ce{C2H5O- Na+}$ (excess), $\ce{C2H5OH}$ (anhydrous) solutions .
In this reaction why is diethyl ether not formed and the actual product is phenyl ethyl ...
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Why do Grignard reagents react with epoxides but not THF?
THF is used as a solvent for Grignard reagents, but epoxides react with Grignard reagents. There is only a small difference between epoxides and THF, what causes the difference in reactivity towards ...
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Rate of EAS in chlorobenzene and fluorobenzene
In both chlorobenzene and fluorobenzene, both the halogens show a −I effect where fluorine has more electron withdrawing effect than chlorine.
Now, if we consider the mesomeric/resonance effect, ...
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Why is oxygen an oxidizing agent?
Why are diatomic oxygen molecules STILL reactive especially with metallic elements like sodium and copper even at room temperature?
You would think that since the two oxygen atoms already have the ...
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Why are free radicals so reactive?
Why are free radicals are so reactive? They can break almost any bond, including $\ce{C-H}$ bonds, which are fairly stable. Don’t they have an activation energy or something? Do they not also ...
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