Abstract
Oxygenations are highly exergonic, yet combustion of organic matter is not spontaneous in an atmosphere that is 21% O2. Electrons are fermions with a quantum spin number s of 1/2ħ. An orbital containing a single electron with s = 1/2 is fermionic. Orbitals can contain a maximum of two electrons with antiparallel spins, i.e., spin magnetic quantum numbers ms of 1/2 and -1/2. An orbital filled by an electron couple has s = 0 and bosonic character. The multiplicity of a reactant is defined as |2(S)| + 1 where S is the total spin quantum number. The Wigner spin conservation rules state that multiplicity is conserved. The transmission coefficient κ of absolute reaction rate theory also indicates the necessity for spin conservation. Burning is fermionic combustion that occurs when sufficient energy is applied to a bosonic molecule to cause homolytic bond cleavage yielding fermionic products capable of reaction with the bifermionic frontier orbitals of triplet multiplicity O2. Neutrophil leucocytes kill microorganisms by bosonic combustion and employ two mechanisms for changing the multiplicity of O2 from triplet to singlet. Microorganisms, composed of bosonic singlet multiplicity molecules, do not directly react with bifermionic O2, but are highly susceptible to electrophilic attack by bosonic electronically excited singlet molecular oxygen (1O2*). Hydride ion (H-) transfer is the common mode of cytoplasmic redox metabolism. Bosonic transfer of an orbital electron couple protects from damage by obviating fermionic reaction with bifermionic O2. Bosonic coupled electron transfer raises the consideration that quantum tunneling might be involved in facilitating such redox transfer.
Highlights
Introduction and BackgroundA wavefunction (ψ) defines a quantum system
An orbital is fermionic if occupied by a single electron, and bosonic if occupied by an electron pair
With regard to orbital reactivity, bosonic orbitals react with bosonic orbitals generating bosonic products, fermionic orbitals react with fermionic orbitals generating bosonic products, and fermionic orbitals react with bifermionic molecules generating less fermionic products
Summary
A wavefunction (ψ) defines a quantum system. An orbital is described by ψ n,l,ml where n is the principle quantum number, l is the azimuthal or angular momentum quantum number, and ml is the magnetic quantum number. When the square roots of the probability distributions yield the wavefunctions ψ(a, b) = ψ(b, a), exchange is symmetric and the particles are bosons. When the wavefunctions ψ(a, b) = −ψ(b, a), exchange is antisymmetric and the particles are fermions. Rotating a boson through 360 degrees returns it to its original state, ψ 3 60 →ψ. Photons are bosons with zero mass and integer spin, fermions anti-commute, Rotating a fermion through 360 degrees, ψ 3 60 → −ψ , changes the sign or phase of the fermion, but does not return the particle to its original state. Electrons possess intrinsic spin described by the quantum number s. Such spin is independent of orbital motion and is without analogy in classical physics. The multiplicity of an atom or molecule equals |2(S)| + 1 where S is the total spin
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