Radicals

[Ahjin Kim 2B]

Referring to question 2C.1 from the textbook: How do we determine whether something is a radical or not?

[Jack Cloud 2K]

We draw out the Lewis structure and look for unpaired electrons. A structure with an unpaired electron is a radical.

[Ronan Ereneta 3D]

There's an easy way to tell if a molecule is a radical just by counting the valence electrons. If the total valence electrons is odd, it's a radical since there has to be an unpaired electron.

[Bethel Tesfamicael]

if you notice an uneven number of electrons in a molecular formula or if there are atoms with an unpaired electron, you might be dealing with a radical. Radicals are often reactive and play a crucial role in various chemical processes, particularly in radical reactions where they participate in the initiation and propagation of chemical reactions.

[Arianna Zhou 1D]

An odd number of total valence electrons will tell you if a particle is a radical or not. Sometimes the chemical formula will be written with a single dot on an atom, which will tell you the molecule is a radical as well as which atom the unpaired electron is on. An example of this is in Q 2C.7 part c.