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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.

10 votes
3 answers
65k views

Why doesn't copper react with hydrochloric acid while the other metals do?

5) Which one of the following metals does not react with hydrochloric acid? A. zinc B. magnesium C. iron D. copper E. aluminium The right answer must be copper, but why ...
Adam's user avatar
  • 849
19 votes
3 answers
94k views

Why does zinc react with sodium hydroxide?

If zinc is less reactive than sodium, then why does it still react with sodium hydroxide?
Daksh Shah's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
3k views

Here are four observations of the reactions of four metals

Here are four observations of the reactions of four metals. Metal F and G react slowly with water Metal H displaces metal G from its chloride salt solution Metal E does not react with dilute acids ...
Adam's user avatar
  • 849
6 votes
2 answers
1k views

How can I work out what reaction will happen?

I have recently started learning chemistry, and I've been reading a GCSE (UK high school level) textbook on the stuff :D Much of it has been fairly straightforward, though there has been a ...
User 17670's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
2k views

How can you predict a double displacement reaction with no precipitate?

Is it possible to predict a double displacement reaction between two ions where the products remain in aqueous solution? I see how you can predict precipitation reactions if you know whether the ...
Shmuel. M's user avatar
28 votes
3 answers
60k views

Rationalising the order of reactivity of carbonyl compounds towards nucleophiles

This is immediately following ron's answer from Why is a ketone more nucleophilic than an ester? One of the most simplest questions you can ask, how can you rationalise the order of reactivity ...
Martin - マーチン's user avatar
18 votes
2 answers
26k views

Why is a ketone more nucleophilic than an ester?

I guess the ester is a weaker nucleophile because it does have an additional oxygen atom, unlike the ketone, that is pulling electrons from the C-O double bond towards the carbon atom (this happens ...
Jori's user avatar
  • 6,233
2 votes
1 answer
2k views

Why do only unsaturated hydrocarbons undergo addition reactions?

Why do only unsaturated hydrocarbons undergo addition reactions? For example, ethene or ethyne will undergo an addition reaction with chlorine, whereas ethane will not. Furthermore, why does benzene ...
1110101001's user avatar
  • 3,256
8 votes
3 answers
9k views

Why do the trends in reactivity not apply for francium?

Why is francium not included in the reactivity series? Why is potassium considered more reactive than francium? I know that reactivity increases down the group, but why does it not apply here?
kusum's user avatar
  • 89
8 votes
2 answers
522 views

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 ...
stochastic13's user avatar
  • 6,795
2 votes
1 answer
31k views

Why is the reactivity of primary alkyl halides with nucleophiles (SN2 mechanism) greater than secondary and tertiary alkyl halides?

For the reaction between alkyl halide and a nucleophile, following the SN2 mechanism, the reactivity of alkyl halides is in the order: primary halide > secondary halide > tertiary halide. If you ...
Sensebe's user avatar
  • 2,356
16 votes
6 answers
15k views

Will bridged compounds the undergo SN1 reaction?

$\mathrm{S}_{\mathrm{N}}1$ reaction involves only one molecule in the rate determining step. So, the molecule which undergoes $\mathrm{S}_{\mathrm{N}}1$ reaction should be stable when it forms a ...
Rajath Radhakrishnan's user avatar
9 votes
3 answers
2k views

Why is tantalum so unreactive?

What is the fundamental argument behind explaining why Ta metal is so inert and does not usually participate in corrosion? I know that it forms a protective oxide, but nothing explains why in an ...
sciencenewbie's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
290 views

Primary amine versus phosphoramidate reactivity with succinate esters

I have posted two reactions below. The top reaction is well known and occurs readily and near quantitatively (e.g. in protein modification), while the bottom reaction to my knowledge does not exist in ...
BBftw's user avatar
  • 991
22 votes
4 answers
8k views

Why do Organolithium or Grignard reagents act as nucleophiles and not as bases with aldehydes and ketones

I've read entire Chapter 14: Organometallic Compounds of Francis Carey's "Organic Chemistry" but I still didn't get an answer to my question. Quote from the book: Because of their basicity ...
claws's user avatar
  • 963

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