Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 24, 2026

Exploring the Radical Nature of a Carbon Surface by Electron Paramagnetic Resonance and a Calibrated Gas Flow
10:34

Exploring the Radical Nature of a Carbon Surface by Electron Paramagnetic Resonance and a Calibrated Gas Flow

Published on: April 24, 2014

The structure and spectra of organic peroxy radicals

Erin N Sharp1, Patrick Rupper, Terry A Miller

  • 1Laser Spectroscopy Facility, Department of Chemistry, The Ohio State University, 120 W. 18th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.

Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics : PCCP
|July 4, 2008
PubMed

More Related Videos

Using Cyclic Voltammetry, UV-Vis-NIR, and EPR Spectroelectrochemistry to Analyze Organic Compounds11:44

Using Cyclic Voltammetry, UV-Vis-NIR, and EPR Spectroelectrochemistry to Analyze Organic Compounds

Published on: October 18, 2018

Isolating Free Carbenes, their Mixed Dimers and Organic Radicals10:44

Isolating Free Carbenes, their Mixed Dimers and Organic Radicals

Published on: April 19, 2019

Related Concept Videos

Radicals: Electronic Structure and Geometry01:07

Radicals: Electronic Structure and Geometry

This lesson delves into the geometry of a radical, which is influenced by the electronic structure of the molecule. The principle is similar to that of a lone pair, where the unpaired electron influences the geometry at the radical center.
Accordingly, the structure of a trivalent radical lies between the geometries of carbocations and carbanions. An sp2-hybridized carbocation is trigonal planar, while an sp3-hybridized carbanion is trigonal pyramidal. Here, the difference in geometry is...
Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) Spectroscopy: Organic Radicals01:17

Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) Spectroscopy: Organic Radicals

Ideally, an unpaired electron shows a single peak in the EPR spectrum due to the transition between the two spin energy states. However, coupling interactions can occur between the spins of the unpaired electron and any neighboring spin-active nuclei. This hyperfine coupling results in hyperfine splitting, where the EPR signal is split into multiplets. The signals split into 2nI + 1 peaks, where n is the number of equivalent nuclei and I is the nuclear spin. These splitting patterns provide...
Radical Formation: Elimination00:51

Radical Formation: Elimination

Another method of radical formation is the elimination process. It is the opposite of the addition route and is driven by the instability of the radical. For example, as depicted in Figure 1, dibenzoyl peroxide yields a pair of unstable radicals upon homolysis. Given its instability, this radical spontaneously undergoes elimination via a C–C bond cleavage to form a relatively more stable phenyl radical. The mechanism involves cleavage of the bond between the α and β positions with respect to...
Radical Reactivity: Overview01:11

Radical Reactivity: Overview

Radicals, the highly reactive species, gain stability by undergoing three different reactions. The first reaction involves a radical-radical coupling, in which a radical combines with another radical, forming a spin‐paired molecule. The second reaction is between a radical and a spin‐paired molecule, generating a new radical and a new spin‐paired molecule. The third reaction is radical decomposition in a unimolecular reaction, forming a new radical and a spin‐paired molecule. These three...
Radical Reactivity: Electrophilic Radicals01:02

Radical Reactivity: Electrophilic Radicals

Radicals adjacent to electron‐withdrawing groups are called electrophilic radicals. These radicals readily react with nucleophilic alkenes. For example, the malonate radical, in which the radical center is flanked by two electron‐withdrawing groups, reacts readily with butyl vinyl ether, which consists of an electron‐donating oxygen substituent. The reaction between electrophilic malonate radical and nucleophilic vinyl ether is favored because the radical has a low‐energy SOMO, which interacts...
Radical Autoxidation01:20

Radical Autoxidation

The oxidation of an organic compound in the presence of air or oxygen is called autoxidation. For example, cumene reacts with oxygen to form hydroperoxide. Autoxidation involves initiation, propagation, and termination steps. Many organic compounds are susceptible to autoxidation—especially ethers in the presence of oxygen, which form hydroperoxides. Even though this reaction is slow, old ether bottles contain small amounts of peroxide, which leads to laboratory explosions during ether...