Chemistry / Unit 9 Chem 1692 short lesson, about 20 seconds
The Transition State
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The idea
A transition state, or activated complex, is the short-lived, high-energy species at a collision's peak, which may go on to products or fall back to reactants.
In practice
A reaction diagram's highest point marks the transition state's energy, above both the reactant and product energies.
Where people slip
A transition state is not an isolable intermediate — it exists only at the instant of peak energy.
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