Thermodynamic control

Definition

In organic chemistry, thermodynamic control describes conditions under which the products of a reaction are determined by the relative stability of the products rather than the rates at which they are formed. This often results in the formation of the most stable product over time, even if it is not the most rapidly produced.

Related terms

Kinetic Control:

Describes conditions under which products are determined by the rate at which they form rather than their stability.

Activation Energy:

The minimum quantity of energy that the reacting species must possess in order to undergo a specified reaction.

Gibbs Free Energy:

A thermodynamic quantity equal to the enthalpy minus the product of entropy and absolute temperature; used to predict whether a process will proceed spontaneously at constant pressure and temperature