autocatalyses
|au-to-cat-a-ly-ses|
🇺🇸
/ˌɔːtoʊˈkætəlɪsiːz/
🇬🇧
/ˌɔːtəʊˈkætəlɪsiːz/
(autocatalysis)
self-catalyzing reaction
Etymology
'autocatalysis' originates from Greek, specifically the elements 'auto-' (from 'autós') meaning 'self' and 'catalysis' (from 'katalysis') meaning 'loosening' or 'dissolution'.
'autocatalysis' was formed in scientific English by combining the prefix 'auto-' with the existing term 'catalysis' (from Greek 'katalysis' via New Latin and 19th-century chemical usage), creating a term used in modern chemistry to describe self-accelerating catalytic processes.
Initially the components suggested 'self-loosening' or 'self-dissolution', but in modern scientific usage the compound specifically denotes a process in which a reaction is accelerated by one of its own products (a self-catalyzing reaction).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
plural of 'autocatalysis': processes in which a product of a chemical reaction acts as a catalyst for that same reaction, thereby accelerating it.
Autocatalyses were observed in several enzyme-catalyzed reactions under the experimental conditions.
Synonyms
Verb 1
third-person singular present form of 'autocatalyse/autocatalyze': to cause (or to undergo) autocatalysis; (of a reaction) to be accelerated by one of its own products acting as a catalyst.
In the model system, the intermediate autocatalyses the main reaction, leading to rapid product formation.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/11/24 03:33