Some Compounds with higher bond dissociation energy seem to be more reactive towards certain compounds then ones with lower bond dissociation energy , so what are the things you need to factor in to know if a compound will show reactivity with another?
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1$\begingroup$ BDE's refer to homolytic bond strength and not heterolytic bond strength. While the BDE of the C-H bond of acetylene is much higher than that of ethane, the pKa of the acetylene C-H bond (~25 kcal/mol) is more acidic than that of ethane (~50 kcal/mol). $\endgroup$– user55119Jun 12, 2019 at 16:09
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First, you need to determine the relative stability of the compounds. Usually, this can be known by comparing the preferred state of the element or compound to its current state. For example, metals commonly want to donate electron so seeing a negatively charged metal should give a hint that the molecule/atom you're dealing with is unstable.
Second, the spontaneity of the reaction is a big help in determining if the two molecules would atleast react (the spontaneity is given by how negative the change in gibbs energy is).
Third, compounds with variety of resonance structures prefer to be themselves because the electron density is delocalized in the molecule.
Lastly, reactivity of the reactants is accompanied by energy. Presence of heat, current, work, etc. usually pushes the equilibrium of the reaction to favor the formation of the product. However, not all reaction have this kind of characteristics especially exothermic ones.
answered Jun 12, 2019 at 16:06