Preferred Label : transient (chemical) species;
IUPAC definition : Relating to a short-lived reaction intermediate. It can be defined only in relation
to a time scale fixed by the experimental conditions and the limitations of the technique
employed in the detection of the intermediate. The term is a relative one. Transient
species are sometimes also said to be 'metastable'. However, this latter term should
be avoided, because it relates a thermodynamic term to a kinetic property, although
most transients are also thermodynamically unstable with respect to reactants and
products.;
Origin ID : T06451;
See also
Relating to a short-lived reaction intermediate. It can be defined only in relation
to a time scale fixed by the experimental conditions and the limitations of the technique
employed in the detection of the intermediate. The term is a relative one. Transient
species are sometimes also said to be 'metastable'. However, this latter term should
be avoided, because it relates a thermodynamic term to a kinetic property, although
most transients are also thermodynamically unstable with respect to reactants and
products.
