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Why is O2 diradical?
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Topic: Why is O2 diradical? (Read 7448 times)
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alex.padmore
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Why is O2 diradical?
«
on:
February 25, 2008, 04:42:38 PM »
Hi,
Just wondering if someone could explain to me why O
2
is diradical.
Cheers,
Alex
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Yggdrasil
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Physical Biochemist
Re: Why is O2 diradical?
«
Reply #1 on:
February 25, 2008, 07:44:06 PM »
It has to do with the molecular orbital diagram of oxygen (see link below). The last two electrons go into a degenerate set of antibonding pi orbitals and, following Hund's rule, you have two unpaired electrons instead of a pair of electrons.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molecular_orbital_diagram#Dioxygen_MO_diagram
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Why is O2 diradical?