Editing Free-radical addition (section)

{{Short description|Organic addition reaction which involves free radicals}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}}

In [[organic chemistry]], '''free-radical addition''' is an [[addition reaction]] which involves [[free radical]]s.  These reactions can happen due to the free radicals having an unpaired electron in their valence shell, making them highly reactive. <ref>{{Cite web |last=McMurry |first=John |last2=Emeritus |first2=Professor |date=2023-09-20 |title=6.6 Radical Reactions - Organic Chemistry {{!}} OpenStax |url=https://openstax.org/books/organic-chemistry/pages/6-6-radical-reactions |access-date=2024-10-07 |website=openstax.org |language=English}}</ref> Radical additions are known for a variety of unsaturated substrates, both olefinic or aromatic and with or without heteroatoms.

Free-radical reactions depend on one or more relatively weak [[Chemical bond|bonds]] in a reagent.  Under reaction conditions (typically heat or light), some weak bonds [[homolysis (chemistry)|homolyse]] into radicals, which then induce further decomposition in their compatriots before recombination.  Different mechanisms typically apply to reagents without such a weak bond.