radical

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energy-level diagram

For Students

radical summary

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Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) standing on rock, side view, Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya

The Fastest Animals on Earth

Two chicks near an egg with a white background (poultry, chick, chickens, birds).

What Do Eggs Have to Do with Easter?

Marriage. A couple getting married during a church wedding ceremony. (religion, ceremony, bride, groom)

The Seven Sacraments of the Roman Catholic church

King Cobra snake in Malaysia. (reptile)

9 of the World’s Deadliest Snakes

July, 2006, Launch of Space Shuttle Discovery STS-121. See attached for full caption information.

Will Light-Speed Space Travel Ever Be Possible?

Close up of books. Stack of books, pile of books, literature, reading. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society

12 Novels Considered the “Greatest Book Ever Written”

Fish. Lionfish. Lion-fish. Turkey fish. Fire-fish. Red lionfish. Pterois volitans. Venomous fin spines. Coral reefs. Underwater. Ocean. Red lionfish swims by seaweed.

10 of the World’s Most Dangerous Fish

radical: Facts & Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Also Known As	free radical

Photos

energy-level diagram

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Topics

methyl radical scavenger cyclopentadienyl benzoyloxy triphenylmethyl allyl alkylidyne alkylidene diphenylnitrogen oxide ethyl diatomic molecule ion biomolecule configuration conformation monomer macromolecule molecular weight

Key People

Justus von Liebig

Justus, baron von Liebig

German chemist

Gerhard Herzberg

Canadian physicist

Friedrich Adolf Paneth

Austrian chemist

Moses Gomberg

American chemist