The chapter of “Reaction Mechanism: Structure and Reactivity” from the book entitled “A Textbook of Organic Chemistry – Volume 1” covers the following topics:
Types of mechanisms; Types of reactions; Thermodynamic and kinetic requirements; Kinetic and thermodynamic control; Hammond’s postulate; Curtin-Hammett principle; Potential energy diagrams: Transition states and intermediates; Methods of determining mechanisms; Isotope effects; Hard and soft acids and bases; Generation, structure, stability and reactivity of carbocations, carbanions, free radicals, carbenes and nitrenes; Effect of structure on reactivity; The Hammett equation and linear free energy relationship; Substituent and reaction constants; Taft equation.
