singleelectron

Chemistry

The discovery of a stable single-electron covalent bond between two carbon atoms substantiated a century-old theory.

Using an X-ray diffraction instrument to study sigma bonds. Photo courtesy of Yusuke Ishigaki A covalent bond is a bond in which two atoms join together by sharing a pair of electrons, forming the basic backbone of most organic compounds. In 1931, Nobel laureate Linus Pauling suggested that covalent bonds formed from a single unpaired electron could exist, but that…