Electron spin resonance has become a major tool for investigating biological one-electron or radical group transfer. The scope and limitations of this method are considered and emphasis is placed on the first of the following two questions that govern the field: (1) What is the structure, stability and potential biological function of radicals that
might
occur as biological intermediates? (2) Which radicals have been demonstrated up to now as (
a
) occurring in biological reactions, (
b
) being essential biological intermediates? The two questions deserve independent consideration and supplement each other. However, the second question can hardly be decided before the first one, though there may be a severe temptation to claim the occurrence or even stabilization of a certain radical without any structural evidence. Among the free radicals considered here are phenoxyls, mercaptyls, semidiones, (aza)semi-quinones (from flavins and pteridines), and metal-stabilized radicals.