Radical-pair mechanism: Difference between revisions
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A [[Radical (chemistry)|radical]] is a molecule with an unpaired [[valence electron]]; thus, a pair of radicals is a radical pair. In the radical-pair mechanism, the unpaired electrons of the radical pair are [[Spin (physics)|spin]]-correlated, oscillating between a [[singlet state]] and a [[triplet state]]. Importantly, the radical pair spin state can interact with its environment, particularly with external magnetic fields, which influences which state it will be in.<ref name=":1" /> | A [[Radical (chemistry)|radical]] is a molecule with an unpaired [[valence electron]]; thus, a pair of radicals is a radical pair. In the radical-pair mechanism, the unpaired electrons of the radical pair are [[Spin (physics)|spin]]-correlated, oscillating between a [[singlet state]] and a [[triplet state]]. Importantly, the radical pair spin state can interact with its environment, particularly with external magnetic fields, which influences which state it will be in.<ref name=":1" /> | ||
<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Adams |first=Betony |last2=Sinayskiy |first2=Ilya |last3=Petruccione |first3=Francesco |date=2018-10-24 |title=An open quantum system approach to the radical pair mechanism |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-34007-4 |journal=Scientific Reports |language=en |publisher=Nature Publishing Group |volume=8 |issue=1 |pages=15719 |doi=10.1038/s41598-018-34007-4 |issn=2045-2322|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite | == Biological impacts == | ||
<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last=Adams |first=Betony |last2=Sinayskiy |first2=Ilya |last3=Petruccione |first3=Francesco |date=2018-10-24 |title=An open quantum system approach to the radical pair mechanism |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-34007-4 |journal=Scientific Reports |language=en |publisher=Nature Publishing Group |volume=8 |issue=1 |pages=15719 |doi=10.1038/s41598-018-34007-4 |issn=2045-2322|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=The radical-pair mechanism as a paradigm for the emerging science of quantum biology |url=https://arxiv.org/html/1512.00450v2 |access-date=2026-09-23 |website=arxiv.org|date=2016|last=Kominis|first=Iannis K.}}</ref> | |||
== Discovery == | == Discovery == | ||
The radical-pair mechanism was first described in the 1960s | The radical-pair mechanism was first described in the late 1960s to explain the phenomena of [[chemically-induced dynamic electron polarization]] (CIDEP) and [[Chemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization|chemically-induced dynamic nuclear polarization]] (CIDNP): that is, anomalously large [[electron spin resonance]] and [[nuclear magnetic resonance]] signal values in organic-molecule chemical reactions, respectively.<ref name=":3" /> It was first applied to a theory of [[avian magnetoreception]] in the 1970s by Schulten et al.<ref name=":2" /> | ||
== See also == | == See also == | ||
Revision as of 19:34, 23 September 2026
In quantum biology, the radical-pair mechanism is a proposed spin-chemistry explanation for magnetoreception, the ability for an organism to sense weak magnetic fields. It has been significantly studied in the context of bird migration.[1]
Mechanism
A radical is a molecule with an unpaired valence electron; thus, a pair of radicals is a radical pair. In the radical-pair mechanism, the unpaired electrons of the radical pair are spin-correlated, oscillating between a singlet state and a triplet state. Importantly, the radical pair spin state can interact with its environment, particularly with external magnetic fields, which influences which state it will be in.[1]
Biological impacts
Discovery
The radical-pair mechanism was first described in the late 1960s to explain the phenomena of chemically-induced dynamic electron polarization (CIDEP) and chemically-induced dynamic nuclear polarization (CIDNP): that is, anomalously large electron spin resonance and nuclear magnetic resonance signal values in organic-molecule chemical reactions, respectively.[3] It was first applied to a theory of avian magnetoreception in the 1970s by Schulten et al.[2]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Zadeh-Haghighi, Hadi; Simon, Christoph (2022-08-01). "Magnetic field effects in biology from the perspective of the radical pair mechanism". Journal of The Royal Society Interface 19 (193). doi:. ISSN 1742-5689. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2022.0325.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Adams, Betony; Sinayskiy, Ilya; Petruccione, Francesco (2018-10-24). "An open quantum system approach to the radical pair mechanism" (in en). Scientific Reports (Nature Publishing Group) 8 (1): 15719. doi:. ISSN 2045-2322. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-34007-4.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Kominis, Iannis K. (2016). "The radical-pair mechanism as a paradigm for the emerging science of quantum biology". https://arxiv.org/html/1512.00450v2.