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Highlight Problem 10.113
- Free radicals are molecules that contain an odd number of valence electrons and therefore contain an unpaired electron in their Lewis structure. As you know from Lewis theory, such molecules are not chemically stable and quickly react with other molecules.
- Some theories on aging suggest that free radicals cause a variety of diseases and aging.
- Free radicals may attack molecules within the cell, such as DNA, changing them and causing cancer or other diseases.
- Free radicals may also attack molecules on the surfaces of cells, making them appear foreign to the body’s immune system. The immune system then attacks the cell and destroys it, weakening the body.