The cleavage of a bond ('
homolytic cleavage' or '
homolytic fission') so that each of the molecular fragments between which the bond is broken retains
one of the bonding electrons. A
unimolecular reaction involving homolysis of a bond (not forming part of a cyclic structure) in
a molecular entity containing an even number of (paired) electrons results in the
formation of two radicals:
It is the reverse of
colligation. Homolysis is also commonly a feature of
bimolecular substitution reactions (and of other reactions) involving radicals and molecules.
Source:
PAC, 1994, 66, 1077
(Glossary of terms used in physical organic chemistry (IUPAC Recommendations 1994))
on page 1122
