unimolecular
(adjective)
Involving a single molecule.
Examples of unimolecular in the following topics:
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Elimination
- Like nucleophilic substitution, it can occur via unimolecular or bimolecular mechanisms.
- A common example of elimination is the dehydration reaction, which occurs in a unimolecular process:
- In unimolecular elimination (E1), a leaving group first detaches itself from a carbon atom, leaving behind a carbocation.
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Molecularity
- If a single species makes up the transition state, the reaction would be called unimolecular.
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Other Reactions
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Nucleophilic Substitution
- This will be explained further in the detailed sections on unimolecular and bimolecular forms of nucleophilic substitution.
- In unimolecular nucleophilic substitution (SN1), a leaving group is replaced by a nucleophile in a two-step process.
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Rate Laws for Elementary Steps
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First-Order Reactions
- As such, a first-order reaction is sometimes referred to as a unimolecular reaction.
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Elimination Reactions of Alcohols
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Oxidation States of Nitrogen
- Amine oxides are not the only functions that undergo a unimolecular syn-elimination on heating.
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Alkene Isomerization
- Unlike the previously described unimolecular isomerizations, this compound is formed by a bimolecular reaction between an electronically excited stilbene and a ground state stilbene molecule.