Chapter 52: Chemical Reactions and Thermochemistry

A chemical reaction is, at its core, a rearrangement of bonds—old bonds break, new bonds form, and the atoms find a new equilibrium. In Category τ, this translates to a reorganisation of τ² modes on the fiber T²: reactant modes destabilise, pass through a transition configuration, and settle into product modes. This chapter develops three interlocking perspectives on reactions: the thermodynamic question (which direction is favoured?), the kinetic question (how fast?), and the mechanistic question (by what pathway?). We introduce potential energy surfaces, the Arrhenius equation, catalysis, and the thermodynamic state functions—enthalpy, entropy, and Gibbs free energy—culminating in the equilibrium condition Δ G = -RT ln K.