free radical

Free Radical Design is a video game developer, based in Nottingham, England. Sometimes abbreviated FRD, the company is well known for their TimeSplitters video game series and has made a name for themselves as a first person shooter developer.
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For other uses, see radical and free radical (disambiguation). In chemistry, radicals (often referred to as free radicals) are atomic or molecular species with unpaired electrons on an otherwise open shell configuration. These unpaired electrons are usually highly reactive, so radicals are likely to take part in chemical reactions. Radicals play an important role in combustion, atmospheric chemistry, polymerization, plasma chemistry, biochemistry, and many other chemical processes, including human physiology. For example, superoxide and nitric oxide regulate many biological processes, such as controlling vascular tone. "Radical" and "free radical" are frequently used interchangeably, however a radical may be trapped within a solvent cage or be otherwise bound. The first organic free radical, the triphenylmethyl radical was identified by Moses Gomberg in 1900 at the University of Michigan.
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Free radical n. 1. An uncharged atom or group of atoms having at least one unpaired electron, which makes it highly reactive. 2. [more]Free radical - Community and Resources

Noun
1. an atom or group of atoms with at least one unpaired electron; in the body it is usually an oxygen molecule than has lost an electron and will stabilize itself by stealing an electron from a nearby molecule; "in the body free radicals are high-energy particles that ricochet wildly and damage cells"
(synonym) radical
(hypernym) atom

A highly reactive chemical that often contains oxygen and is produced when molecules are split to give products that have unpaired electrons (a process called oxidation). Free radicals can damage important cellular molecules such as DNA or lipids or other parts of the cell.

A highly reactive chemical species that normally exists for a relatively short time. Some free radicals are formed in the body during processes of oxidation and may be useful, e.g., in killing infectious organisms. Free radicals are also capable of doing extensive damage to tissues unless kept in check by antioxidants. The latter can be enzymes or chemicals, many of which are vitamins obtained from the diet (e.g., vitamins C and E).