Do they just have an idea of how something will react generally, like knowing something will combust or change color, etc, or can they also predict the degree to which it will occur based on their understanding of the reaction itself? Is there just a lot of speculation?
In: Chemistry
Organic chemistry is based on the understanding of function groups and how they react with one another. We can look at molecules and make educated guesses about how molecules will react with each other based on their electronics based on all the functional groups on the molecule and how the molecule is bound together. Also we take into account the shape of the molecule, as even in molecules, parts can block access to these functional groups.
Also, there are many well known reactions called name reactions. They’re usually named after the chemists that published them. They are reactions between specific functional groups that produced a known result. I can make an educated guess if it will work with my molecule, but the only way to really know is to try it and analyze the results.
When we work, we usually just care about what molecules come out. Color can sometimes be guessed based on certain functional groups and other structures, but we usually don’t care about it. Most pure chemicals are white powders.
Combustion is usually not a good thing for me so I try to avoid it.
Latest Answers