Singly Occupied Molecular Orbital

The tert -butyl radical with SOMO shown.

S ingly O ccupied M olecular O rbital (SOMO, engl.) Is a singly occupied molecular orbital .

The SOMO describes orbitals in which there are individual, unpaired electrons , as they occur, for example, in radicals or in atoms such as nascent hydrogen . Unpaired electrons are very reactive, as they strive to achieve a paired state, but there are exceptions, such as with nitrogen monoxide , if, for example, the electrons are paired in an antibonding orbital.

The space where the unpaired electron is most likely to be located, for example in alkyl radicals, can be described with the SOMO and makes reactions such as radical substitution more understandable.

See also

• HOMO
• LUMO

literature

• E. Riedel, C. Janiak: Inorganic Chemistry . 7th edition with DVD. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin 2007, ISBN 978-3-11-018903-2 .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Hans-Dieter Jakubke, Ruth Karcher (coordinators): Lexikon der Chemie in three volumes, Spektrum Verlag, Heidelberg, Volume 3, 1999, ISBN 3-8274-0381-2 , p. 250.