Identification of the precise bond configuration of the intermediate species has allowed determining the sequence of chemical
transformations along the pathway from reactants via intermediates to end products and unraveling the microscopic mechanisms behind that intricate dynamical behavior.
A combination of extensive state - of - the - art numerical calculations with classic analytical models describing the kinetics of sequential chemical reactions has shown that it is not enough to consider the energy potential landscape (i.e. the energies of the species
along the reaction
pathway and the associated
transformation barriers), but that energy dissipation to the substrate and changes in molecular entropy play a critical role for the stabilization of the intermediates.