HyperDic: free_radical

English > 1 sense of the expression free radical:
NOUNsubstancefree radical, radicalan atom or group of atoms with at least one unpaired electron
English > free radical: 1 sense > noun 1, substance
MeaningAn atom or group of atoms with at least one unpaired electron; in the body it is usually an oxygen molecule that has lost an electron and will stabilize itself by stealing an electron from a nearby molecule.
Example"in the body free radicals are high-energy particles that ricochet wildly and damage cells"
Synonymradical
Broaderatom(physics and chemistry) the smallest component of an element having the chemical properties of the element
Spanishradical libre, radical lliure, radical
Catalanradical lliure, radical

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