How Do Orbital Energies Influence Catalytic Activity?
The catalytic activity is significantly influenced by the orbital energies of the involved species. For example:
1. Activation Energy: Lowering the activation energy of a reaction is a primary goal in catalysis. Catalysts achieve this by providing an alternate reaction pathway with a lower activation energy, which is directly related to the alignment of orbital energies. 2. Selectivity: The selectivity of a catalyst towards a particular reaction can be explained by the specific alignment of its orbital energies with those of the reactants. 3. Stability: The stability of intermediates formed during the catalytic cycle can also be analyzed through the study of orbital energies.
