Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

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...
A Single-Component System01:24

A Single-Component System

In the field of chemistry, the terms "component" and "phase" hold significant importance. A component refers to a chemically distinct substance in a system that has specific properties. It is chemically homogeneous, meaning it has the same properties throughout. For example, in a mixture of salt and water, both salt and water are considered separate components because they have different chemical properties.On the other hand, a phase is a form of matter that has a consistent chemical...
Radical Formation: Abstraction00:47

Radical Formation: Abstraction

The electron of an atom can be abstracted from a compound by a relatively unstable radical to generate a new radical of relatively greater stability. For example, an initiator which forms radicals by homolysis can abstract a suitable species like a hydrogen atom or a halogen atom from a compound to generate a new radical. This ability of radicals to propagate by abstraction is a crucial feature of radical chain reactions.
Even though homolysis produces radicals, it is different from radical...
Radical Reactivity: Steric Effects01:10

Radical Reactivity: Steric Effects

The presence of electron-donating, electron-withdrawing, or conjugating groups adjacent to a radical center, imparts electronic stabilization to the radicals. Examples of such electronically-stabilized radicals are triphenylmethyl, tetramethylpiperidine‐N‐oxide, and 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl. These radicals are remarkably stable and are known as persistent radicals. Some of the persistent radicals can even be isolated and purified.
Along with electronic factors, steric factors also account...
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...
Woodward–Hoffmann Selection Rules and Microscopic Reversibility01:34

Woodward–Hoffmann Selection Rules and Microscopic Reversibility

Electrocyclic reactions, cycloadditions, and sigmatropic rearrangements are concerted pericyclic reactions that proceed via a cyclic transition state. These reactions are stereospecific and regioselective. The stereochemistry of the products depends on the symmetry characteristics of the interacting orbitals and the reaction conditions. Accordingly, pericyclic reactions are classified as either symmetry-allowed or symmetry-forbidden. Woodward and Hoffmann presented the selection criteria for...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

A Modular 3D-Printed Design to Investigate Prebiotic Chemical Systems in Hot Spring Pools.

Astrobiology·2026
Same author

RNA Hairpin Synthesis by RNase-Catalyzed Dynamic Covalent Chemistry.

Chembiochem : a European journal of chemical biology·2026
Same author

Rapid Activation of Amino Acids with Cyanide and Hypochlorite.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2025
Same author

Author Correction: Iron sulfide-catalyzed gaseous CO<sub>2</sub> reduction and prebiotic carbon fixation in terrestrial hot springs.

Nature communications·2024
Same author

Iron sulfide-catalyzed gaseous CO<sub>2</sub> reduction and prebiotic carbon fixation in terrestrial hot springs.

Nature communications·2024
Same author

Dehydration promotes phosphoramidate-linked amino acidyl and peptido adenosine conjugates.

Chemical communications (Cambridge, England)·2024
Same journal

A native sulfur deposit in Gale crater, Mars.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2026
Same journal

Coordinated demise of harmful algal blooms.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2026
Same journal

Genetic effects put into context.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2026
Same journal

Bacteria share proteins to survive antibiotics.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2026
Same journal

Impacts shaped Earth's first continents.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2026
Same journal

Erratum for the Report "Covalently bonded single-molecule junctions with stable and reversible photoswitched conductivity" by C. Jia <i>et al</i>.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 14, 2026

Versatile CO2 Transformations into Complex Products: A One-pot Two-step Strategy
07:36

Versatile CO2 Transformations into Complex Products: A One-pot Two-step Strategy

Published on: November 9, 2019

A radically configurable six-state compound.

Jonathan C Barnes1, Albert C Fahrenbach, Dennis Cao

  • 1Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.

Science (New York, N.Y.)
|January 26, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers synthesized stable organic radicals using radical templation within a unique catenane structure. These radicals exhibit remarkable air and water stability, opening new avenues for radical chemistry applications.

More Related Videos

Plasmid-derived DNA Strand Displacement Gates for Implementing Chemical Reaction Networks
07:50

Plasmid-derived DNA Strand Displacement Gates for Implementing Chemical Reaction Networks

Published on: November 25, 2015

Design and Synthesis of a Reconfigurable DNA Accordion Rack
07:44

Design and Synthesis of a Reconfigurable DNA Accordion Rack

Published on: August 15, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 14, 2026

Versatile CO2 Transformations into Complex Products: A One-pot Two-step Strategy
07:36

Versatile CO2 Transformations into Complex Products: A One-pot Two-step Strategy

Published on: November 9, 2019

Plasmid-derived DNA Strand Displacement Gates for Implementing Chemical Reaction Networks
07:50

Plasmid-derived DNA Strand Displacement Gates for Implementing Chemical Reaction Networks

Published on: November 25, 2015

Design and Synthesis of a Reconfigurable DNA Accordion Rack
07:44

Design and Synthesis of a Reconfigurable DNA Accordion Rack

Published on: August 15, 2018

Area of Science:

  • Supramolecular Chemistry
  • Organic Chemistry
  • Materials Science

Background:

  • Organic radicals are typically unstable, undergoing rapid dimerization or oxidation.
  • Developing persistent organic radicals is crucial for advancing radical chemistry and materials science.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To synthesize and characterize a novel class of air- and water-stable organic radicals.
  • To investigate the redox properties and structural features of radicals encapsulated within a homo[2]catenane.

Main Methods:

  • Radical templation synthesis of organic radicals within a homo[2]catenane.
  • Electrochemical techniques (cyclic voltammetry) to identify redox states.
  • X-ray crystallography, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy for characterization.

Main Results:

  • Successful synthesis of air- and water-stable organic radicals trapped in a homo[2]catenane.
  • Identification of six experimentally accessible redox states (0, 2+, 4+, 6+, 7+, 8+) for the octacationic catenane.
  • Structural and magnetic characterization of multiple redox states using various spectroscopic and crystallographic methods.

Conclusions:

  • The homo[2]catenane effectively stabilizes organic radicals, overcoming their inherent instability.
  • The reversible redox behavior and stability of these encapsulated radicals offer significant potential for applications in molecular electronics and catalysis.