Singlet oxygen

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Singlet oxygen, systematically named dioxygen(singlet) and dioxidene, is a gaseous inorganic chemical with two oxygen atoms in a quantum state where all electrons are spin-paired, known as a singlet state. It is the lowest excited state of the diatomic oxygen molecule, which in general has the chemical structure O=O and chemical formula O2. Singlet oxygen can be written more specifically as 1[O2] or 1O2. The more prevalent ground state of O2 is known as triplet oxygen. At room temperature, singlet oxygen slowly decays into triplet oxygen, releasing the energy of excitation. Singlet oxygen is a gas with physical properties differing only subtly from the ground state. In terms of its chemical reactivity, however, singlet oxygen is far more reactive toward organic compounds. It is responsible for the photodegradation of many materials but can be put to constructive use in preparative organic chemistry and photodynamic therapy. Trace amounts of singlet oxygen are found in the upper atmosphere...

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