Editing Reaction mechanism (section)

==Reaction intermediates==
Reaction intermediates are chemical species, often unstable and short-lived.  They can, however, sometimes be isolated. They are neither reactants nor products of the overall chemical reaction, but temporary products and/or reactants in the mechanism's reaction steps.  Reaction intermediates are often confused with the [[transition state]]. The [[transition state]]s are, in contrast,  fleeting, high-energy species that cannot be isolated.  The kinetics (relative rates of the reaction steps and the [[rate equation]] for the overall reaction) are discussed in terms of the energy required for the conversion of the reactants to the proposed transition states (molecular states that correspond to maxima on the [[reaction coordinate]]s, and to [[saddle point]]s on the  [[potential energy surface]] for the reaction).