radical
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A radical is an atom, molecule, or ion with an unpaired electron in its outer shell, which makes it unusually reactive and eager to bond with other substances. This matters because radicals drive many important chemical reactions in nature and industry, from the rusting of metals to processes in our cells, and understanding them helps scientists predict and control how substances behave.
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The hydroxyl radical, Lewis structure shown, contains one unpaired electron. Lewis dot structure of a hydroxide ion compared to a hydroxyl radical In chemistry, a radical, also known as a free radical, is an atom, molecule, or ion that has at least one unpaired valence electron. With some exceptions, these unpaired electrons make radicals highly chemically reactive. Radicals consisting of main group elements are often very reactive and undergo uncontrollable reactions, notably dimerization and polymerization. Most organic radicals have short lifetimes.
A notable example of a radical is the hydroxyl radical (HO·), a molecule that has one unpaired electron on the oxygen atom. Two other examples are triplet oxygen and triplet carbene (꞉CH 2) which have two unpaired electrons.