New properties of sulfur atom discovered

image: New properties of sulfur atom discovered

Image: 
Professor of Physical Chemistry of the University of Malaga, Juan Casado Cordón

A study led by Prof. Juan Casado, from the Department of Physical Chemistry of the UMA, in collaboration with the University of Oregon (U.S.A.) and Osaka (Japan), which has proved that lone pair electrons that characterize sulfur atom can also repel unpaired or itinerant electrons that are present in their environment.

"This study evidences that the conventional conciliatory behavior of sulfur -electron donor- also shows a hostile side", explains the researcher from the UMA, who adds that these findings demonstrate that sulfur, under some circumstances, can also cause "magnetic repulsion".

Organic diradicals

According to this expert, the diradical molecules (a molecular species with two electrons occupying two "degenerated" molecular orbitals) used in the study -more stable, functional and durable- are critically important in chemistry, as well as in other sciences. For instance, they are associated with the chemical reactivity in combustion or are present in the persistence cycles of tropospheric ozone, and, also, in the future, they will be part of "magnetic plastic".

Credit: 
University of Malaga