autoionization
|au-to-i-o-ni-za-tion|
🇺🇸
/ˌɔːtoʊaɪənaɪˈzeɪʃən/
🇬🇧
/ˌɔːtəʊaɪənaɪˈzeɪʃən/
self-ionization (spontaneous ion formation within identical molecules)
Etymology
'autoionization' originates from Greek and New Latin roots: 'auto-' from Greek 'autos' meaning 'self', combined with 'ion' (from Greek 'ion', from 'ienai' meaning 'to go') and the suffix '-ization' (from verb-forming '-ize' + noun-forming '-ation') to form the noun 'autoionization'.
'autoionization' was formed by combining the prefix 'auto-' + 'ion' + '-ization' in scientific English; the noun emerged in chemical literature in the late 19th to early 20th century to name the phenomenon 'self-ionization' and has been used in modern chemistry and physics texts ever since.
Initially and historically it meant 'self-ionization' (the process of generating ions within a pure substance), and this technical meaning has been retained in contemporary usage across chemistry and physics.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the process in which identical molecules of a pure substance exchange protons (or electrons) and thereby produce ions without a separate external ionizing agent; e.g. the self-ionization of water producing H3O+ and OH-.
The autoionization of water yields equal concentrations of H3O+ and OH- at 25 °C.
Synonyms
Noun 2
in atomic and molecular physics, a process in which an excited atom or molecule spontaneously ejects an electron (becomes ionized) as a result of internal energy redistribution.
Autoionization of the excited state leads to electron emission instead of photon emission in this experiment.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/11/26 07:20