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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.

3 votes
1 answer
4k views

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 ...
TLo's user avatar
  • 1,096
2 votes
1 answer
896 views

Why are silyl chlorides more readily hydrolysed than alkyl chlorides?

I know that the $\ce{Si-Cl}$ bond has a slightly higher energy, but silyl chlorides are much more readily hydrolyzed compared to alkyl chlorides. I do not fully understand why that is. My thoughts so ...
guogogo's user avatar
  • 415
1 vote
1 answer
440 views

Oxidation Reactions/Reactivity of Manganese Metal in Air and Water

I am planning on doing some reactions that lead to Manganese metal and a neutral solution containing $\ce{Mn^{2+}}$ as by-products, and I wanted to try some things out with the Manganese as well. ...
User1618's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
2k views

Reactivity of Benzaldehyde between aldehydes [closed]

Are Benzaldehydes less reactive than aldehydes due to the -R Effect of the -CHO group present on the benzene ring?
VR20's user avatar
  • 1
-3 votes
2 answers
5k views

Why is caesium considered the most reactive element and not fluorine? [closed]

Some people say caesium is most reactive element. I thought it to be fluorine as it is the element that reacts with almost all elements (except couple of inert gases). But caesium won't react many of ...
tired and bored dev's user avatar
40 votes
6 answers
12k views

How does ammonium nitrate explode on its own?

I thought ammonium nitrate was an oxidizer that needed to be mixed with fuel to form a high explosive (e.g., ANFO). But apparently there have been accidental explosions involving just the "...
Rob N's user avatar
  • 1,633
21 votes
1 answer
2k views

If aliens lived in a hydrogen (or any flammable gas) based atmosphere, would they perceive oxygen to be flammable?

Energy, fuel, and oxygen are needed for a fire to burn. In a hydrogen chamber, if there was a pipe spewing small amounts of oxygen, could you light the oxygen on fire as it began to mix with the ...
Howzieky's user avatar
  • 321
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
14 votes
5 answers
5k views

Is there a way to contain fluorine gas for long term so that it can be visually observed?

Bromine, chlorine and iodine can all be sealed in a glass container for display without the elements reacting with the glass. But if you try to seal fluorine in glass I believe it will react and fog ...
docscience's user avatar
  • 2,773
13 votes
1 answer
8k views

Does an acetal give a positive Tollens test?

In Organic Chemistry (Wade) there is a question: Which of the following compounds would give a positive Tollens' test? (Remember that the Tollens' test involves mild basic aqueous conditions.) The ...
user4779's user avatar
  • 687
13 votes
1 answer
13k views

Why is phenyl weakly activating?

The susceptibility of a benzene ring to electrophilic attack depends on the type and number of groups bonded to the ring. Activating groups donate/release electrons and increase the electron density ...
Huey's user avatar
  • 753
11 votes
1 answer
313 views

Which electronic effects are responsible for the reduction of nucleophilicity of a hydroxy group orthogonal to an ester?

I am facing a similar synthetic problem as Boekman Jr. et al noted in their synthesis of Tetronolide.[1] I will quote their’s rather than disclosing my actual synthetic problem, but note that the key ...
Jan's user avatar
  • 68.4k
11 votes
2 answers
307 views

Silver Tarnish and Reactivity Series

I read that silver in the presence of hydrogen sulfide corrodes to form silver sulfide and hydrogen. $$\ce{Ag + H2S -> Ag2S + H2}$$ But in the reactivity series silver is placed much below hydrogen....
Shub's user avatar
  • 408
10 votes
3 answers
60k views

How can I relate the reactivity series to electronegativity and ionization energy?

I am trying to figure out how the reactivity series comes about. My understanding is that elements with a higher electronegativity will be more reactive than elements with a lower electronegativity, ...
spraff's user avatar
  • 493
10 votes
1 answer
3k views

What does nutella add to the Coke+Mentos reaction?

Inspired by this question on SFF.SE. The Diet Coke + Mentos experiment has been a popular one for a while now, and I've read a little bit about the science behind it. I recently discovered this ...
Jason Baker's user avatar

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