The Solvent and its Effect on Reactions in Solution

There are three properties that are important here the permittivity of the solvent, the viscosity of the solvent and the polarizability of the molecules of the solvent. 

An Introduction to Chemical Kinetics. Margaret Robson Wright 2004 John Wiley Sons, Ltd. ISBNs 0-470-09058-8 (hbk) 0-470-09059-6 (pbk) 

The viscosity, 77, of a solvent restricts movement through it. The higher the viscosity, the slower will particles move around. 

The polarizability, a, is a measure of the extent to which the electronic distribution over a molecule can be distorted by the electric field of charged particles, or dipolar molecules. 

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