Reaction Mechanism
The detailed sequence of elementary steps by which reactants are converted into products.
Unit
Dimensionless
In depth
A valid mechanism must add up to the overall equation and predict the observed rate law. Because several mechanisms may fit the same data, additional evidence — isotopic labelling, stereochemistry, intermediate detection — is used to discriminate between them. A mechanism can be disproved but never finally proved.
Examples in the real world
The SN1 mechanism's two steps explaining why the reaction is first order and gives a racemic product.