Poor selectivity can occur due to various reasons:
1. Catalyst Structure: The active sites of a catalyst might not be specific enough to favor the formation of a single product. 2. Reaction Conditions: Parameters such as temperature, pressure, and concentration can influence the reaction pathway, leading to multiple products. 3. Substrate Characteristics: The nature of the reactants can also affect the selectivity. For instance, substrates with multiple reactive sites can lead to a mixture of products. 4. Side Reactions: Often, secondary reactions can compete with the primary reaction, resulting in poor selectivity.
