The species in which carbon atom carries an odd electron and have three covalent bonds is called as:

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct option is (3):

A Free Radical is a species that possesses an unpaired electron. In organic chemistry, a carbon free radical is a carbon atom that has three covalent bonds and one unpaired (odd) electron. This gives the carbon atom seven valence electrons, making it highly reactive and electron-deficient, but not charged. For example, in a methyl radical ($\mathrm{CH_3\cdot}$), the carbon atom is bonded to three hydrogen atoms and carries one unpaired electron. The presence of this single unpaired electron distinguishes free radicals from carbocations (which have a positive charge) and carbanions (which have a negative charge). Free radicals are typically formed by homolytic cleavage of a covalent bond, where each atom involved in the bond retains one electron from the shared pair.

The incorrect option is (1):
A Carbocation is a species in which a carbon atom has a positive charge and is bonded to three other atoms. It has six electrons in its valence shell, making it an electron-deficient species, but it does not carry an odd electron.

The incorrect option is (2):
A Carbanion is a species in which a carbon atom has a negative charge and is bonded to three other atoms, possessing a lone pair of electrons. It has a complete octet (eight valence electrons), not an odd number of electrons.

The incorrect option is (4):
A Carbene is a neutral species containing a divalent carbon atom with two unshared valence electrons. The carbon atom in a carbene has two covalent bonds and two non-bonding electrons, which can be either paired (singlet carbene) or unpaired (triplet carbene), but it doesn't fit the description of having three covalent bonds and a single odd electron.