See image — GOC and Organic Chemistry Basics Chemistry Question

💡 Solution & Explanation

# Homolytic Fission of CH₃CH₂-Cl **Understanding Homolytic Fission:** Homolytic fission is a cleavage process where a covalent bond breaks such that each fragment retains one electron from the bonding pair. This produces **radicals** (species with unpaired electrons). **Breaking the C-Cl bond:** $$\text{CH}_3\text{CH}_2\text{-Cl} \xrightarrow{\text{homolytic}} \text{CH}_3\text{CH}_2^{\bullet} + \text{Cl}^{\bullet}$$ **Analysis of products:** - $\text{CH}_3\text{CH}_2^{\bullet}$ = ethyl radical (•) — has one unpaired electron - $\text{Cl}^{\bullet}$ = chlorine radical (•) — has one unpaired electron **Why option (4) is correct:** Option (4) shows $\text{CH}_3\text{CH}_2^{\oplus}$ (cation, positive charge) and $\text{Cl}^{\ominus}$ (anion, negative charge). This represents **heterolytic fission**, not homolytic fission. The correct answer is **(1)**: $\text{CH}_3\text{CH}_2^{\bullet}$ and $\text{Cl}^{\bullet}$ — both radicals with unpaired electrons, which is the definition of homolytic cleavage.