Free Radical #2

One way to think of a free radical is that it is looking for a mate.  Remember that the hydrogen free radical has only one electron in its outer ring.

Nature seems to prefer pairs.  There is even a philosophical parallel with the human body.  Humans seem to need and want a partner, usually male and female since that is a stable type of "pair" that can lead to children and to the ultimate goal of life -- to survive into the future, including surviving through your children.

So, a free radical can be thought of as "incomplete" -- wanting a partner.  If there is a couple on the dance floor, and the man walks away from the woman on the dance floor, that would cause some concern for the woman.  She may think she wants "her" man, but the more basic shortage is for "a partner."

In truth both the man and the woman, sitting by themselves, are looking for a partner, even if for one dance.

You can envision some of the mischief caused by a free radical when you look at the analogy:

Mary and Bob are dancing.  This is Bob's idea of heaven.  Mary likes to dance and doesn't much care who she dances with. Bill comes along and taps Bob on the shoulder, the polite sign that he wants to take Bob's place with Mary. We have a possibility of sudden tension.  Perhaps the "pairing" of Mary and Bob is "casual" and neither of them mind the intrusion from Bill. But, perhaps Bob really loves Mary, but Mary is a bit indifferent to Bob.  Bill's intrusion is seen as very much unwanted by Bob, and not a big deal to Mary.  If Bill persists, he takes Mary away from Bob, leaving Bob as a very unhappy camper. Bob may, in spite, consider himself a "free agent" ready to "steal" some girl dancing with some other guy. That guy, in turn, becomes a free radical, looking for a girl. This could be called a "chain reaction," and that is exactly what happens with free radicals.   They move from here to there, causing mischief.  The rather "stick" at the place they hit, but they often dislodge a new free radical that moves off to cause other mischief.  You wind up with a mess -- often! In human bodies it comes up cancer and heart disease.  On the freeways it a mess of metal! This chain reaction can go on through dozens or perhaps millions of reactions -- lasting a tiny fraction of a second.

This is just the beginning of the story of free radicals, so CLICK FOR MORE.

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