Mechanisms

• What is the main focus of mechanisms in reactions?


  They predict the outcome of a reaction
• How can mechanisms be useful beyond predicting outcomes?

  They help understand how reactions happen
• What do mechanisms break reactions down into?

  A sequence of stages
• What do reaction mechanism diagrams illustrate?

  How molecules react together
• What do curly arrows in reaction mechanisms indicate?

  Which bonds are made or broken
• What must electrons do to break a bond in a reaction?

  They must move around
• What do curly arrows show in terms of electron pairs?

  Where a pair of electrons goes during a reaction
• Where do curly arrows start in a reaction mechanism?

  At the bond or lone pair
• What do the arrow points indicate in a reaction mechanism?

  Where new bonds are formed
• What does the reaction mechanism help to visualize?

  The steps of the reaction