Course Outline

Mechanism matters. From small academic laboratories to industrial pilot plants, the study of reaction mechanisms is vital for controlling and predicting the outcome of a chemical process. In this class, we revisit concepts in kinetics introduced at undergraduate level, and consider how we can avoid the most common mistakes when trying to understand linear and catalytic reactions in more depth.

Learning Outcomes

1)    Understand the concepts of reaction order, molecularity, and elementary steps.

2)    Understand the difference between ‘Steady State’ and ‘Pre-equilibrium’ approximations.

3)    Understand the importance of analysing reaction at different temperatures and the mechanistic information this provides.

4)    Understand the fundamentals of linear free energy relationships and their various applications in mechanistic analyses (e.g. the Hammett relationship).

5)    Understand the applications of isotopes in studying reaction mechanisms.

6)    Understand the differences in studying linear versus catalytic reactions.

Lecture Videos

All of the video content below is now available as a playlist on YouTube.

In the YouTube version, each course lecture is segmented to help encourage a more bite-sized consumption of the content.

Additional PDF Content

COURSE SUPPLEMENTS

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