what are fre radicals? (1 Viewer)

[MouNtY]

sorry can someone tell me what free radicals are using like really dumbed down language, i'm trying to learn it but i don't get what it is.


thanks for anyone's help

 

[shafqat]

an atom or molecule with at least one unpaired electron
as you know electrons are paired around the nucleus, and if an electron isn't paired with another it is "unpaired"

 

[MouNtY]

so if ur doin the bonding thing n there's an atom leftover, it doesn't mean it's wrong it's just a free radical right?

 

[xiao1985]

u mean when u r writing chemical eqn's?!

theoretically yes... but free radicals rarely form in chemical reactions concerned by hsc syllabus except the one regarding polymerisation of ethylene to form LDPE...

 

[Slidey]

so if ur doin the bonding thing n there's an atom leftover, it doesn't mean it's wrong it's just a free radical right?

Uh... well obviously if you're doing equations it's not OK, since they have to be balanced and overall neutral (generally).

If you're talking about ions... well, that's another kettle of fish.

 

[Slidey]

As to what a radical actually is: it's formed when a covalent bond if cut. It is NOT charged, rather neutral.

 

[nit]

a free radical can be uncharged or charged - it doesn't really matter. The point is that free radicals are species that have at least one unpaired electron.

As for that atom being left over, you may be wrong, you may be right...depends. Main ones you're likely to come across: polyethylene during initiation/propagation/termination steps of LDPE production....also NO (nitrous oxide), NO2 (nitric oxide), oxygen atoms, the dissociation of benzoyl peroxides (and organic peroxides in general) which is the catalyst used in LDPE production, fluorine atoms, nitrogen atoms, hydroxyl radicals. Those are the main ones I can think of on the top of my head.