hw to know the mechanism of a given reaction

Question

cuanchi · Answer

A reaction mechanism is only a guess at how a reaction proceeds. Therefore, even if a mechanism agrees with the experimental results of a reaction, it can be difficult to be proven to be correct. A mechanism must satisfy the following two requirements: The elementary steps must add up to give the overall balanced equation for the reaction. The rate law for the rate-determining step must agree with the experimentally determined rate law. http://chemwiki.ucdavis.edu/Physical_Chemistry/Kinetics/Rate_Laws/Reaction_Mechanisms/Reaction_Mechanisms