Relating to a short-lived reaction intermediate. It can be defined only in relation to a time scale fixed by the experimental conditions and the limitations of the technique employed in the detection of the intermediate. The term is a relative one.
Transient species are sometimes also said to be "metastable". However, this latter term should be avoided, because it relates a thermodynamic term to a kinetic property, although most transients are also thermodynamically unstable with respect to reactants and products. See also persistent.
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