transition states - 2025 ACF Fall

Question

These chemical states exist at saddle points on potential energy surfaces. For 10 points each:

[10m] The activation energy of a reaction equals the difference in Gibbs free energy between the reactants and what states?

ANSWER: transition states [prompt on activated complexes; reject “intermediates”]

[10e] Transition state theory assumes a “quasi-” form of this condition between the reactants and the transition state. This condition occurs when the forward and reverse reactions proceed at the same rate, so there is no overall change.

ANSWER: chemical equilibrium [accept quasi-equilibrium; prompt on steady state]

[10h] The lifetime of a transition state is on the femtosecond time-scale of this phenomenon, which has 3N minus 6 possible modes in nonlinear molecules with N atoms.

ANSWER: vibrations [accept vibrational modes; accept molecular vibrations; accept word forms like vibrating]

<Editors, Chemistry>

Back to bonuses

Summary


Northern California	Main	Y	4	20.00	100%	25%	75%
Southern California	Main	Y	7	18.57	100%	43%	43%
Eastern Canada (1)	Main	Y	5	14.00	100%	0%	40%
Eastern Canada (2)	Main	Y	9	14.44	100%	11%	33%
Florida	Main	Y	4	12.50	100%	25%	0%
Great Lakes	Main	Y	12	13.33	100%	25%	8%
Lower Mid-Atlantic	Main	Y	9	11.11	89%	22%	0%
Upper Mid-Atlantic	Main	Y	2	20.00	100%	0%	100%
Midwest	Main	Y	9	12.22	67%	33%	22%
North	Main	Y	4	12.50	100%	25%	0%
Northeast	Main	Y	10	12.00	100%	10%	10%
Pacific	Main	Y	8	12.50	100%	0%	25%
South Central	Main	Y	7	10.00	100%	0%	0%
Southeast	Main	Y	13	12.31	92%	23%	8%
UK (North)	UK	Y	5	10.00	100%	0%	0%
UK (South)	UK	Y	8	16.25	100%	38%	25%
Upstate NY	Main	Y	5	10.00	100%	0%	0%

Data


Berkeley Mighty Miner	Berkeley Boss Bandit	0	10	10	20
Stanford B	Berkeley Archer Queen	0	10	10	20
Berkeley Skeleton King	UCSC	10	10	10	30
Berkeley Little Prince	Stanford A	0	10	0	10
UCSD A	UC Santa Barbara	0	10	10	20
UCLA A	USC A	10	10	0	20
UCLA B	UCLA D	10	10	10	30
UCSD B	UCLA C	0	10	0	10
UCLA E	USC B	0	10	0	10
UC Irvine	UCLA F	10	10	0	20
Claremont A	Claremont B	0	10	10	20
Carleton A	Carleton B	0	10	10	20
McGill B	McGill A	0	10	10	20
McGill C	Ottawa B	0	10	0	10
McGill E	Ottawa C	0	10	0	10
Ottawa D	Ottawa A	0	10	0	10
McMaster B	Toronto E	0	10	0	10
Queen's A	Toronto F	10	10	0	20
Toronto C	Toronto A	0	10	10	20
McMaster A	Toronto B	0	10	10	20
Toronto G	Guelph A	0	10	0	10
Toronto H	Brock A	0	10	0	10
Waterloo A	Toronto D	0	10	10	20
Waterloo C	Waterloo B	0	10	0	10
McMaster C	Toronto I	0	10	0	10
Florida A	Florida B	0	10	0	10
Florida Tech B	ERAU Daytona A	0	10	0	10
Florida State A	South Florida A	10	10	0	20
Florida Tech A	UCF A	0	10	0	10
CWRU A	Michigan A	10	10	10	30
CWRU B	Louisville A	10	10	0	20
Ohio State B	CWRU D	0	10	0	10
Kentucky	Louisville D	0	10	0	10
Michigan State A	Michigan B	0	10	0	10
Louisville B	Michigan C	0	10	0	10
Ohio State A	Michigan State B	0	10	0	10
Ohio State C	CWRU C	0	10	0	10
Ohio State D	Louisville C	0	10	0	10
Michigan D	Pittsburgh	0	10	0	10
WVU A	Michigan State C	10	10	0	20
WVU B	Michigan State D	0	10	0	10
NCSU B	Liberty C	0	10	0	10
Liberty A	Duke A	0	10	0	10
Liberty B	JMU B	0	10	0	10
Virginia Tech C	UNC C	0	10	0	10
UNC B	VCU A	0	10	0	10
Virginia A	William & Mary A	10	10	0	20
Virginia Tech A	Virginia Tech B	10	10	0	20
William & Mary C	William & Mary B	0	0	0	0
Maryland A	George Mason A	0	10	10	20
Rutgers A	Maryland C	0	10	10	20
NCSU A	UNC A	0	10	0	10
Illinois Blue	Illinois Champaign	10	10	10	30
Chicago A	Iowa A	0	10	0	10
Illinois Urbana	Chicago B	0	0	0	0
Purdue A	Purdue C	10	10	10	30
Purdue B	Iowa B	10	10	0	20
Rose-Hulman A	William Woods University A	0	0	0	0
WashU Grizzlers	Indiana B	0	10	0	10
WashU Grolars	Purdue D	0	10	0	10
Indiana A	Illinois Canada	0	0	0	0
Macalester	Iowa State	0	10	0	10
Michigan Tech	Wisconsin B	10	10	0	20
St. Thomas	Wisconsin A	0	10	0	10
Minnesota	Wisconsin C	0	10	0	10
Tufts C	Amherst B	0	10	0	10
Brandeis Bach	Boston University A	0	10	0	10
Amherst A	Brown A	0	10	0	10
Dartmouth B	Brown B	0	10	0	10
Dartmouth A	Vermont B	0	10	0	10
Williams C	Harvard	0	10	0	10
Brandeis Beethoven	MIT B	0	10	0	10
UConn A	Tufts B	0	10	0	10
Brandeis Mozart	Williams B	0	10	0	10
MIT A	Boston College A	10	10	10	30
Washington Steelhead	Alberta A	0	10	0	10
Washington Coho	Arizona State B	0	10	0	10
Boise State	Washington Masu	0	10	0	10
British Columbia A	Texas	0	10	0	10
British Columbia B	Washington Atlantic	0	10	0	10
Washington Chum	British Columbia C	0	10	10	20
Washington Pink	Washington Sockeye	0	10	10	20
Washington State	Arizona State A	0	10	0	10
Kansas State A	Central Oklahoma B	0	10	0	10
Rose State	Kansas State B	0	10	0	10
Nebraska C	Murray State College B	0	10	0	10
Nebraska B	Central Oklahoma A	0	10	0	10
Oklahoma	Murray State College A	0	10	0	10
Tulsa A	Nebraska A	0	10	0	10
Tulsa B	Harding	0	10	0	10
Auburn A	Auburn B	0	10	0	10
Chipola College	Alabama A	10	10	0	20
Clemson B	Clemson C	0	10	0	10
Georgia A	Tennessee Tech	10	10	0	20
Georgia Tech F	Georgia Tech B	0	10	0	10
Clemson A	Georgia Tech C	0	10	10	20
Georgia Tech D	Montevallo	0	0	0	0
Georgia Tech E	Emory A	0	10	0	10
South Carolina A	Vanderbilt A	10	10	0	20
Georgia Tech A	Tennessee A	0	10	0	10
Sewanne	Tennessee B	0	10	0	10
Vanderbilt C	Vanderbilt B	0	10	0	10
Mississippi State A	Auburn C	0	10	0	10
York	Edinburgh D	0	10	0	10
Edinburgh A	Durham A	0	10	0	10
Durham C	Edinburgh C	0	10	0	10
Edinburgh B	Durham D	0	10	0	10
Durham B	Sheffield A	0	10	0	10
Southampton	Birmingham	0	10	0	10
Cambridge D	Bristol	10	10	10	30
Imperial B	Cambridge C	10	10	0	20
Cardiff	Cambridge B	0	10	0	10
Imperial A	Warwick	0	10	0	10
Imperial C	LSE	0	10	0	10
Cambridge E	Imperial D	10	10	10	30
Cambridge A	Oxford	0	10	0	10
Cornell B	Binghamton C	0	10	0	10
Cornell A	ESF	0	10	0	10
RIT B	Cornell D	0	10	0	10
RIT A	Cornell C	0	10	0	10
Binghamton B	Rochester	0	10	0	10