Radicals

[andrea guzman 1F]

When it comes to an unpaired electron when do you know just to leave it be rather than having it bond with another if the central atom does not follow the octet rule?

[rydasomera 1L]

I would count the number of valence e- needed in order to have the correct Lewis structure. If the final Lewis structure has the proper number of electrons then I would leave it be and not bond it with another, despite the central atom not following the octet rule.

[Jasmin Gonzalez]

When you know to "leave the unpaired electron" or try to satisfy the octet rule it depends on the stability of the structure. If the molecule is stable with unpaired electrons then it may be more energetically favorable. There are various factors to consider like molecular stability, bond energy, and the overall electronic structure.

[705960769]

One thing that helps me when determining how many lone pairs are on the central atom is the multiple of 8 rule. First, add up all the electrons in the molecule. If the the number is a multiple of 8 (16,24,32) then there are zero lone pairs. However, if it is not a multiple of 8 then subtract the highest possible multiple of 8 and then divide this number by 2, then you will have the number of lone pairs present on the central atom. For example, E-= 26-24=2/2 so therefore 1 lone pair is present on the central atom. Oh and this does not work when there is H present though.