The elucidation of inorganic reaction mechanisms by high pressure studies

Abstract

Recent studies of the effect of high pressure upon the rates of redox, solvent exchange, nucleophilic substitution and hydrolysis reactions are reviewed. Quantitative predictions of volumes of activation for outer-sphere electron transfer processes are used to interpret redox reactions of uncertain mechanism. Both the volume of activation, and its pressure dependence, may be used to diagnose dissociative and associative substitution processes and also to ascertain the participation of solvent molecules in transition states,.