The key difference between electropositive and electronegative radicals is that electropositive radicals are radical compounds having the capacity to lose electrons and carry a positive charge whereas electronegative radicals are radical compounds having the capacity to gain electrons and carry a negative charge.
A radical, in chemistry, is an atom, molecule or an ion that contains an unpaired valence electron. In most instances, this unpaired single electron makes a chemical compound highly reactive because this electron tends to pair with another electron to obtain a low energy level. Moreover, an atom, ion or molecule having an open electron shell that is able to obtain electrons is also categorized as a radical in chemistry. Due to the highly reactive nature, these radicals often tend to undergo dimerization and polymerization reactions.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What are Electropositive Radicals
3. What are Electronegative Radicals
4. Side by Side Comparison – Electropositive vs Electronegative Radicals in Tabular Form
5. Summary
What are Electropositive Radicals?
Electropositive radicals are atoms, ions, or molecules that can lose an electron and carry a positive electrical charge. An electropositive radical is formed due to the electropositive nature of a chemical species, which means a particular chemical species has the tendency to lose electrons in order to form positive radicals. Moreover, some examples of electropositive radicals include calcium cation (Ca+2), sodium cation (Na+), etc.
Figure 01: Formation of a Radical
What are Electronegative Radicals?
Electronegative radicals are atoms, ions, or molecules that can gain an electron and carry a negative electrical charge. An electronegative radical is formed due to the high electronegativity of a chemical species, meaning, a particular chemical species has the tendency to gain electrons and form negatively charged radicals.
Figure 02: Resonance in Radicals
Moreover, some examples of electronegative radicals include chlorine anion (Cl–), fluoride anion (F–), etc.
What is the Difference Between Electropositive and Electronegative Radicals?
Radicals are chemical species such as atoms, ions, or molecules having an unpaired electron. The key difference between electropositive and electronegative radicals is that electropositive radicals are radical compounds having the capacity to electrons and carry a positive charge whereas electronegative radicals are radical compounds having the capacity to gain electrons and carry a negative charge. Therefore, electropositive radicals carry a positive charge while electronegative radicals carry a negative charge. Some examples of electropositive radicals include calcium cation and sodium cation while the examples of electronegative radicals include fluoride and chloride ions.
The following table summarizes the difference between electropositive and electronegative radicals.
Summary – Electropositive vs Electronegative Radicals
A radical, in chemistry, is an atom, molecule or an ion that contains an unpaired valence electron. The key difference between electropositive and electronegative radicals is that electropositive radicals are radical compounds having the capacity to lose electrons and carry a positive charge whereas electronegative radicals are radical compounds having the capacity to gain electrons and carry a negative charge. Most of the times, radicals are highly reactive chemical species which makes them undergo dimerization and polymerization reactions.
Reference:
1. More, Hemant. “Naming of Chemical Compounds: Radicals, Ions, Acids, Bases, Salts, Etc.” The Fact Factor, 5 June 2020, Available here.
2. “Electronegativity.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 24 Oct. 2020, Available here.
3. “What Is Electropositivty? Definition, Trends, Comparison with Electronegativity.” BYJUS, BYJU’S, 17 Aug. 2020, Available here.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Antioxidants Free radicals Lobo et al.,” By Lobo, V., Patil, A., Phatak, A., & Chandra, N – Lobo, V., Patil, A., Phatak, A., & Chandra, N. (2010). Free radicals, antioxidants and functional foods: Impact on human health. Pharmacognosy Reviews, 4(8), 118–126. (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “ALLYL radical resonance” By Orgonaute – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia