Establishment of a reaction mechanism

This type of reaction mechanism applied to different saturated hydrocarbons highlights the extraordinary complexity of the distribution of products formed during numerous pyrolyses. 

We use the trial and error method, which is a permanent back-and-forth between writing the mechanism and carrying out experiments to validate it. 

we must propose a possible mechanism satisfying a certain number of mles (five in total, see sections 9.3.2 to 9.3.6). Once the mechanism hypothesis is proposed, all the consequences including kinetics are drawn. Thereafter, we can come up with complementaty experiments to prove the mechanism incorrect. A mechanism can never be proved correct. We can only prove the opposite, hence discarding a mechanism that would not be consistent with observations. 

It follows from this that the conclusion always leads to the availability of a mechanism accounting for known facts, but others may exist and therefore a mechanism and not mechanism of the reaction is identified. Sometimes, we can suggest several mechanisms that are compatible with all of the experimental observations. New experiments or methods of investigation must be set up to decide between these mechanisms. However, even if only one mechanism is compatible with all experimental data, it should always be considered a hypothesis. 

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