autoracemization
|au-to-ra-ce-mi-za-tion|
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/ˌɔːtəreɪsəmaɪˈzeɪʃən/
🇬🇧
/ˌɔːtəreɪsəməˈzeɪʃən/
self-induced loss of optical activity
Etymology
'autoracemization' originates from a combination of the Greek-derived prefix 'auto-' meaning 'self' and the chemical term 'racemization' (from Latin/French roots) meaning 'conversion into a racemate'.
'racemization' traces back to 'racemic', from Latin 'racemus' meaning 'a cluster of grapes' (used in chemistry for racemic acid). The verb-form 'racemize' and noun 'racemization' developed in modern chemical usage in the 19th–20th centuries, and 'autoracemization' is a later English formation combining 'auto-' + 'racemization' to indicate a self-driven process.
Originally 'racemic' referred specifically to the racemic acid isolated historically; over time it came to mean a 1:1 mixture of enantiomers, and 'autoracemization' evolved to mean racemization that occurs by intrinsic (self) processes rather than by external racemizing agents.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the process by which a chiral (optically active) compound spontaneously racemizes (becomes a 1:1 mixture of enantiomers) without external chiral influence or deliberate catalytic resolution.
The compound underwent autoracemization during storage, losing its optical purity.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/11/28 06:28