A triplet spin system (S = 1) is detected by low-temperature electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy in samples of diol dehydrase and the functional adenosylcobalamin (AdoCbl) analog 5′-deoxy-3′,4′-anhydroadenosylcobalamin (anAdoCbl). Different spectra are observed in the presence and absence of the substrate (R,S)-1,2-propanediol. In both cases, the spectra include a prominent half-field transition (ΔM S = 2) that is a hallmark of strongly-coupled triplet spin systems. The appearance of 59 Co-hyperfine splitting in the EPR signals as well as the positions (g-values) of the signals in the spectra show that half of the triplet spin is contributed by the low spin Co 2+ of cob (II)alamin. Linewidth effects from isotopic labeling ( 13 C and 2 H) in the 5′-deoxy-3′,4′-anhydroribosyl ring demonstrate that the other half of the spin triplet is from an allylic 5′-deoxy-3′, 4′-anhydroadenosyl (anhydroadenosyl) radical. The zero-field splitting (ZFS) tensors describing the magnetic dipole-dipole interactions of the component spins of the triplets have rhombic symmetry because of electron spin delocalization within the organic radical component and nearness of the radical to the low spin Co 2+ . The dipole-dipole interaction was modeled as a summation of pointdipole interactions involving the spin-bearing orbitals of the anhydroadenosyl radical and cob(II) alamin. Geometries which are consistent with the ZFS tensors in the presence and absence of substrate position the 5′-carbon of the anhydroadenosyl radical 3.5 Å and 4.1 Å and from Co 2+ , respectively. Homolytic cleavage of the cobalt-carbon bond of the analog in the absence of substrate indicates that, in diol dehydrase, binding of the coenzyme to the protein weakens the bond prior to binding of substrate.A common characteristic of AdoCbl 1 -dependent enzymes is the generation and utilization of enzyme-bound organic radicals (1-3). The Co-C5′ bond of AdoCbl is relatively weak having a bond dissociation energy of ~ 30 kcal mol −1 (4). A prevalent mechanism for AdoCbldependent enzymes begins with the homolytic cleavage of the Co-C5′ bond to give cob(II) alamin and the 5′-deoxyadenosyl radical (1). The 5′-deoxyadenosyl radical being an unstabilized, primary alkyl radical is expected to have a short lifetime, low concentration, and a high reactivity towards H atom abstraction. Thus far, these properties of the 5′-deoxyadenosyl radical have precluded direct observation of the radical by EPR spectroscopy.