An Outline of Kinetics versus Thermodynamics

Abstract

Almost every chemical reaction has a kinetic and a thermodynamic aspect. The terms ‘kinetic’ and ‘thermodynamic’ though inter-related are two different facets of a chemical reaction. Here is an outline of the underlying relationships between the two through application to chemical reactions and an example from natural processes. A necessary condition for thermodynamic control is reversibility or a mechanism permitting the equilibration between products. In this way, the thermodynamically more stable product is always favored. Under kinetic reaction control, the forward reaction is faster than the reverse reaction. Kinetics and thermodynamics are related to each other in ways that can be explained by using chemical reactions. A discussion of kinetics and thermodynamics requires an explanation of the underlying relationships between the two, through application to chemical reactions and several examples from natural processes.