The cleavage of a bond ("homolytic cleavage" or "homolytic fission") so that each of the molecular fragments between which the bond is broken retains one of the bonding electrons. A unimolecular reaction involving homolysis of a bond (not forming part of a cyclic structure) in a molecular entity containing an even number of (paired) electrons results in the formation of two radicals:
It is the reverse of colligation. Homolysis is also commonly a feature of bimolecular substitution reactions (and of other reactions) involving radicals and molecules. See also bond dissociation energy, heterolysis.
