Reactions involving Radicals

Abstract

This chapter outlines the formation of radicals by homolysis. It emphasizes that the mechanisms of radical reactions are quite different from those of polar reactions: most occur by radical chain mechanisms. The chapter then examines the stability of radicals and the radical chain reactions. It then shifts to emphasize that radical reactions are important in biology and medicine. Radicals are in fact all around us: a normal oxygen molecule is a diradical, reactive oxygen species such as superoxide anion, hydroperoxyl radical, and hydroxyl radical are believed to be implicated in the ageing process. Finally, the chapter examines radical polymerization. Radical polymerization is an important industrial process for the production of useful plastics. It then studies the formation of radical ions by single electron transfer, and their reactions as well as the electrolytic reactions.