Gen Chem: Radicals are Uncharged?

[justadream]

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I'm probably forgetting something super basic but for some reason, I can't seem to rationalize how a radical like:

is uncharged.

Can someone remind me of the difference between what I have above and "Br-"?

 

[Czarcasm]

I'm probably forgetting something super basic but for some reason, I can't seem to rationalize how a radical like:

is uncharged.

Can someone remind me of the difference between what I have above and "Br-"?

Bromine in it's elemental state exists as Br2(l). Bromine is a group 7 element therefore having 7 valence electrons individually (they want one more to achieve the nobel gas configuration). To do this, they simply share electrons. Bromine can also steal an electron from other metals, forcing a salt in the process. In this scenario, bromine having one extra electron has one more electron than an atom of bromine does, and so overall it's negatively charged (-1); that is, 1 more electron than all the protons in bromine. It's electron configuration would be: [Ar]4s23d104p6. Bromine radical has an electron configuration of: [Ar]4s23d10p5. It's uncharged because protons = electrons, but it's a radical because the electron is in an unpaired p orbital.

 

[Teleologist]

You can have charged radicals. Consider the superoxide anion.