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Triplet oxygen

 

 
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Triplet oxygen
 
 
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Triplet oxygen is the ground state of the oxygen
Oxygen

Oxygen no O2 produced; 2) O2 produced, but absorbed in oceans & seabed rock; 3) O2 starts to gas out of the oceans, but is absorbed by land surfaces and formation of ozone layer; 4-5) O2 sinks filled and the gas accumulates]]...
 molecule. The electron configuration
Electron configuration

In atomic physics and quantum chemistry, electron configuration is the arrangement of electrons in an atom, molecule, or other physical structure....
 of the molecule has two unpaired electrons occupying two degenerate molecular orbitals. These orbitals are classified as antibonding
Antibonding

Antibonding is a type of chemical bond. An antibonding orbital is a form of molecular orbital that is located outside the region of two distinct Atomic nucleus....
, so the O-O bond is weaker than the N-N bond in molecular nitrogen
Nitrogen

Nitrogen is a chemical element that has the symbol N and atomic number 7 and atomic mass 14.00674?. Elemental nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless and mostly inert diatomic gas at standard conditions, constituting 78% by volume of Earth's atmosphere....
, where all bonding molecular orbitals are filled.

Unpaired electrons in degenerate orbitals can have the same spin, so the total spin S of the molecule is 1.






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Triplet oxygen is the ground state of the oxygen
Oxygen

Oxygen no O2 produced; 2) O2 produced, but absorbed in oceans & seabed rock; 3) O2 starts to gas out of the oceans, but is absorbed by land surfaces and formation of ozone layer; 4-5) O2 sinks filled and the gas accumulates]]...
 molecule. The electron configuration
Electron configuration

In atomic physics and quantum chemistry, electron configuration is the arrangement of electrons in an atom, molecule, or other physical structure....
 of the molecule has two unpaired electrons occupying two degenerate molecular orbitals. These orbitals are classified as antibonding
Antibonding

Antibonding is a type of chemical bond. An antibonding orbital is a form of molecular orbital that is located outside the region of two distinct Atomic nucleus....
, so the O-O bond is weaker than the N-N bond in molecular nitrogen
Nitrogen

Nitrogen is a chemical element that has the symbol N and atomic number 7 and atomic mass 14.00674?. Elemental nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless and mostly inert diatomic gas at standard conditions, constituting 78% by volume of Earth's atmosphere....
, where all bonding molecular orbitals are filled.

Unpaired electrons in degenerate orbitals can have the same spin, so the total spin S of the molecule is 1. This is known as a triplet configuration because the spin has three possible alignments in an external magnetic field.

Because the molecule has a non-zero spin magnetic moment
Magnetic moment

In physics, astronomy, chemistry, and electrical engineering, the term magnetic moment of a system usually refers to its magnetic dipole moment, and is a measure of the strength of the system's net Magnetism....
, oxygen
Oxygen

Oxygen no O2 produced; 2) O2 produced, but absorbed in oceans & seabed rock; 3) O2 starts to gas out of the oceans, but is absorbed by land surfaces and formation of ozone layer; 4-5) O2 sinks filled and the gas accumulates]]...
 is paramagnetic; i.e., it can be attracted to the poles of a magnet
Magnet

A magnet is a material or object that produces a magnetic field. This magnetic field is invisible but is responsible for the most notable property of a magnet: a force that pulls on other ferromagnetic materials and attracts or repels other magnets....
. The Lewis structure
Lewis structure

Lewis structures, also called Lewis-dot diagrams, Electron-dot diagrams or Electron-dot structures, are diagrams that show the chemical bonding between atoms of a molecule, and the lone pairs of electrons that may exist in the molecule....
 O=O does not accurately represent the diradical
Diradical

A diradical in organic chemistry is a molecule with two electrons occupying two degenerate molecular orbitals . They are known by their higher reactivities and shorter lifetimes....
 nature of molecular oxygen; molecular orbital theory
Molecular orbital theory

In chemistry, molecular orbital theory is a method for determining molecular structure in which electrons are not assigned to individual chemical bonds between atoms, but are treated as moving under the influence of the nuclei in the whole molecule....
 must be used to adequately account for the unpaired electrons.

The unusual electron configuration prevents molecular oxygen from reacting directly with many other molecules, which are often in the singlet
Diradical

A diradical in organic chemistry is a molecule with two electrons occupying two degenerate molecular orbitals . They are known by their higher reactivities and shorter lifetimes....
 state. Triplet oxygen will, however, readily react with molecules in a doublet state, such as radicals, to form a new radical. Conservation of spin quantum number would require a triplet transition state
Transition state

The transition state of a chemical reaction is a particular configuration along the reaction coordinate. It is defined as the state corresponding to the highest energy along this reaction coordinate....
 in a reaction of triplet oxygen with a closed shell (a molecule in a singlet state). The extra energy required is sufficient to prevent direct reaction at ambient temperatures with all but the most reactive substrates, e.g. white phosphorus. At higher temperatures or in the presence of suitable catalysts the reaction proceeds more readily. For instance, most flammable substances are characterised by an autoignition temperature
Autoignition temperature

The autoignition temperature or kindling point of a substance is the lowest temperature at which it will Spontaneous combustion in a normal atmosphere without an external source of ignition, such as a flame or spark....
 at which they will undergo combustion in air without an external flame or spark.

Singlet oxygen
Singlet oxygen

Singlet oxygen is the common name used for the diamagnetic form of molecular oxygen , which is less stable than the normal triplet oxygen. Because of its unusual properties, singlet oxygen can persist for over an hour at room temperature, depending on the environment....
, where the electron spins are opposed in a higher energy state, is many times more reactive than triplet oxygen, and extremely hazardous to organic matter. It is used for the extermination of heavy infestations of persistent pests in houses and buildings.