Question on Radicals
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Question on Radicals
Are radicals and free radicals the same thing? I've seen both terms used in reference to compounds with unpaired electrons, but I wasn't sure if there was a difference between the two or if they were essentially the same?
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Re: Question on Radicals
That’s a good question, I honestly thought they were the same thing lol... like you can say radical or free radical and mean the same thing but now? Not so sure.
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Re: Question on Radicals
I believe that they are interchangeable, radicals (or free radicals) are atoms with at least one unpaired valence electron.
Re: Question on Radicals
As others have said, I believe they're the same thing! Free radicals are involved in oxidizing elements, and I feel like an element with an odd number of electrons would want electrons from other substances, so I believe they are interchangeable terms.
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Re: Question on Radicals
VSU_2G wrote:As others have said, I believe they're the same thing! Free radicals are involved in oxidizing elements, and I feel like an element with an odd number of electrons would want electrons from other substances, so I believe they are interchangeable terms.
Thanks for the clarification!
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Re: Question on Radicals
Radicals and free radicals are the same. Both are denoted by one unpaired electron.
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Re: Question on Radicals
yep it seems like it, probably synonymous as long as the specie has one unpaired electron making it unstable and existing only for a short amount of time
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