Which carbene state has paired nonbonding electrons?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

The carbene state characterized by paired nonbonding electrons is the singlet state.1

In this configuration, the two nonbonding electrons occupy the same orbital and possess opposite spins, resulting in no net magnetic moment. This contrasts with the triplet state, in which the two nonbonding electrons occupy different orbitals and have parallel spins, giving the molecule a magnetic moment.1