Organic reactions - how do they happen (AS)
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What is the difference between a single atom (eg Cl) and a free radical?
A free radical is a species with an unpaired electron. So a free chlorine atom is a free radical.
The term free radical is mainly used in discussions of reaction mechanisms. Free radicals form when a covalent bond breaks homolytically with one electron staying with one of the atoms linked by the bond and the other electron staying with the other.
Thus when UV light initiates the reaction of chorine with an alkane, the light splits the chlorine molecules into chlorine atoms. The chlorine atoms are the free radicals that start the chain reaction.
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updated: 19 June 2004
