How many electrons does the p-orbital of a methyl radical carbon CH3^. contain?
http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0027-8424%28197702%2974%3A2%3C410%3AEAOTMR%3E2.0.CO%3B2-L&size=LARGE&origin=JSTOR-enlargePage
I count three.
not 3
To determine the number of electrons in the p-orbital of a methyl radical carbon (CH3^.), we need to understand the electronic structure of carbon and consider the radical species.
Carbon, with an atomic number of 6, has six electrons. The electronic configuration of a neutral carbon atom is 1s2 2s2 2p2. In this configuration, the 1s orbital is fully occupied with a pair of electrons, and the 2s orbital is also fully occupied with another pair of electrons. This leaves two unpaired electrons in the 2p orbitals.
However, in a methyl radical carbon (CH3^.), one electron is removed (indicated by the superscript dot) from the neutral carbon. By doing so, one of the 2p electrons is removed, leaving only one unpaired electron in the p-orbital.
Therefore, a methyl radical carbon (CH3^.) contains one electron in its p-orbital.