How many free radicals are generated during homolytic fission of a neutral molecule with an even number of electrons?
1 Answer
The homolytic fission of a neutral molecule with an even number of electrons produces two free radicals.
For example, the homolytic cleavage of a Br-Br bond is
Homolytic cleavage produces two free radicals — atoms with unpaired valence electrons.
If the molecule has an even number of electrons and one bond is cleaved, each fragment has an unpaired electron.
