Extreme molecular shapes

The simple collision theory for bimolecular gas phase reactions is usually introduced to students in the early stages of their courses in chemical kinetics. They learn that the discrepancy between the rate constants calculated by use of this model and the experimentally determined values may be interpreted in terms of a steric factor, which is defined to be the ratio of the experimental to the calculated rate constants Despite its inherent limitations, the collision theory introduces the idea that molecular orientation (molecular shape) may play a role in chemical reactivity. We now have experimental evidence that molecular orientation plays a crucial role in many collision processes ranging from photoionization to thermal energy chemical reactions. Usually, processes involve a statistical distribution of orientations, and information about orientation requirements must be inferred from indirect experiments. Over the last 25 years, two methods have been developed for orienting molecules prior to collision (1) orientation by state selection in inhomogeneous electric fields, which will be discussed in this chapter, and (2) bmte force orientation of polar molecules in extremely strong electric fields. Several chemical reactions have been studied with one of the reagents oriented prior to collision. ... 

In general molecular shape is of less importance than size and interaction energy in determining the properties of mixtures and solutions (Rowlinson 1970) and the small second virial discriminations are not surprising. Calculations on more complicated systems, though extremely difficult at the moment, seem likely to provide a rather direct route to some quantitative understanding of chiral effects in solutions and pure h quids. 

For flexible polymers the structural change due to intramolecular motions must be large enough for the light wave to detect the difference between the various molecular shapes. Only under these circumstances will intramolecular interference affect the lightscattering spectral distributions. An extreme example of this case, the Rouse-Zimm dynamic model of the Gaussian coil, is discussed in detail in Section 8.8. 

---