Valence electrons are still attached to an atom. They are the outermost electrons that determine chemical properties, and may be part of chemical bonds. A free electron is an atom that is not attached to any atom and is free to move anywhere.

Radical, also called Free Radical, in chemistry, molecule that contains at least one unpaired electron. Most molecules contain even numbers of electrons, and the covalent chemical bonds holding the atoms together within a molecule normally consist of pairs of electrons jointly shared by the atoms linked by the bond.