Chemical Thinking / 4.3← Back to lesson

Find where chemistry turns.

Follow a moving tangent, watch its slope cross zero, and decide whether you found the most product or the lowest energy. Drag the timeline to control every frame.

Reaction kinetics

When should the reaction stop?

y(t) = 6t² − t³
Animated extrema graphThe upper graph shows a chemical function and moving tangent; the lower graph shows its derivative at the same position.
functiontangentderivative
The reaction is gaining product.

Model note: the reaction-yield curve is a teaching model. The bond example uses the reduced Lennard–Jones potential V(r) = r⁻¹² − 2r⁻⁶. Its coordinate r is dimensionless.