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Chemistry LibreTexts

Carbenoid

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A carbene (also known as a carbenoid) is a species that has a formally neutral carbon atom bearing two nonbonded valence electrons. A carbene has the following general structural formula.

carbene1.png

R1 and R2 could be any ligand

eg:

carbene2.png

A carbene could exist in two spin states: singlet carbene and triplet carbene. In a singlet carbene, the two nonbonded valence electrons in the electron-deficient carbon are in the same orbital, i.e., they are a lone pair.

carbene3.png

In a triplet carbene, the two nonbonded valence electrons in the electron-deficient carbon are in different orbitals. Since a triplet carbene has unpaired electrons, it is, by definition, a radical.

carbene4.png

see also carbene equivalent, nitrene


This page titled Carbenoid is shared under a All Rights Reserved (used with permission) license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Gamini Gunawardena via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.

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