What Are Some Key Questions Addressed by Mechanistic Studies?
Mechanistic studies address several critical questions, including:
What is the active site of the catalyst? Identifying the active site is essential for understanding how the catalyst interacts with reactants and facilitates the reaction. What are the reaction intermediates and transition states? Knowing the structures of intermediates and transition states helps in mapping out the entire catalytic cycle. What is the rate-determining step? Determining the slowest step in the catalytic cycle is crucial for improving the overall reaction rate. How do various reaction conditions affect the mechanism? Studying the impact of temperature, pressure, and solvent on the reaction mechanism provides insights into optimizing reaction conditions. What are the deactivation pathways of the catalyst? Understanding how catalysts deactivate over time helps in developing more stable catalytic systems.
