Ultimately a reaction is define by the ability of the species involved to change the environmental energy.

Is there the perfect timing and orientation to maximize the molecular change and therefore the energies involved? A normal distribution of energies produced would be hidden in the sheer numbers of reactants. I don't think that being able to a series of experiments using just one set of reaction molecules, a single reaction, would be possible.

Guessing at quantum behaviour, probably the molecules at that scale, time and space look the same from all sides therefore negating my initial mental modelling.
-- wjt, Jul 17 2017

The timing side of things Molezart_20Molecule
Maybe the single shape change can't be imagined like this. [wjt, Jul 17 2017]

solvation shells, the geometry of what surrounds reactants. https://en.wikipedi...iki/Solvation_shell
[beanangel, Jul 20 2017]

I have no real clue what this idea is about, but I believe you are getting at the question of molecular orientation and its relationship to reactivity.

I believe that this is well-researched in chemistry. Certainly in enzymology, it's well understood that one of the tricks enzymes do is to present reactants to eachother in preferred orientations, precisely to facilitate reactions.

There's also a slowly-growing appreciation that enzymes use some very subtle and ingenious quantum mechanical tricks to achieve their effects.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jul 17 2017


[bigsleep] How can we tunnel into something without some people striving to look at the measurement box of numbers in that new imaginary, creative and irksome way that finds the missed simples.

[Maxwell] I wasn't thinking of enzymes with their charge and magnetic abilities but rather simple redox reactions, where, probably, the crash shapes direct the outcome.

Anyway MFD for not having an idea unless someone's built channels small enough to control the orientation and movement of single molecules for orientative burn calculations. A single molecular Bunsen burner.

A single rupture of a high grade explosive molecule would be interesting.
-- wjt, Jul 18 2017


Second paragraph, last sentence, I think you're missing a verb between "to" and "a", [wjt]. Unless it was suddenly ablated in the heat of the reaction.

Actually, you might be missing a whole clause. Possibly an entire narrative, with four recogisable mythemes and a charming anecdote about Bela Lugosi.
-- pertinax, Jul 19 2017


After reading this through several times I too am convinced there are several words missing, perhaps several sentences, up to and including possibly the entire idea.
-- whatrock, Jul 20 2017


I think what you might like is the concept of solvation shells [wikipiedia link], basically the shape of water around the reactants, and how it effects the reactivity based on your phrase "simple redox reactions, where, probably, the crash shapes direct the outcome." Even without the water packaging I like your idea.
-- beanangel, Jul 20 2017


Obviously, my quest is to find what I'm missing and ultimately my whole self. Maybe the missing 'do' is a clue.

Thanks [beanangel] but as [whatrock] stated not really an idea but rather a neuron excitation that needs to pass through another 20 billion cells.
-- wjt, Jul 21 2017



random, halfbakery