AN OUTLINE OF KINETICS VERSUS THERMODYNAMICS CHEMISTRY

Abstract

Nearly all chemical reactions has a kinetic and a thermodynamic feature. The terms ‘kinetic’ and ‘thermodynamic’ though inter-related are two diverse aspects of a chemical reaction. This paper represents an outline of the underlying relationships between the two through application to chemical reactions and an example from natural processes. A required condition for thermodynamic control is reversibility or a mechanism allowing the equilibration between products. In this manner, the thermodynamically more stable product is always preferred. Under kinetic reaction control, the forward reaction is quicker than the reverse reaction. Kinetics and thermodynamics are correlated to each other in means that can be described by using chemical reactions. A debate of kinetics and thermodynamics needs a description of the fundamental relationships between the two, through application to chemical reactions and some examples from natural processes. Keywords: activation energy, chemical reaction, kinetic, reactant, thermodynamics