Question

Name the following:

A radical which consists of only one atom

Answer 1

A radical which consists of only one atom is known as Simple radical.

• A radical is an atom or a group of atoms consisting of either positive or negative charges.
• Radicals are of two types - Acidic and basic radicals
• Positively charged radicals are known as Basic radicals or cations. For example - ${\mathrm{H}}^{+},{\mathrm{Na}}^{+},\mathrm{etc}.$
• Negatively charged radicals are known as Acidic radicals or anions. For example - ${\mathrm{Cl}}^{-},{\mathrm{OH}}^{-},\mathrm{etc}.$
• On the basis of the number of atoms present in a radical, it is further categorized into two types - Simple radical and Compound Radical.
• Simple radicals are those radicals consisting of only one atom. For example - ${\mathrm{H}}^{+},{\mathrm{Na}}^{+},\mathrm{etc}.$
• While compound radicals are those radicals consisting of two or more atoms of the same or different elements. For example - ${\mathrm{SO}}_4^{2-},{\mathrm{OH}}^{-},\mathrm{etc}.$