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bimolecular

American

[bahy-muh-lek-yuh-ler] / ˌbaɪ məˈlɛk yə lər /

adjective

Chemistry.

having or involving two molecules.

bimolecular British

/ ˌbaɪməˈlɛkjʊlə /

adjective

(of a chemical complex, collision, etc) having or involving two molecules

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

bimolecularly

adverb

Etymology

Origin of bimolecular

First recorded in 1895–1900; bi- ¹ + molecular

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Unimolecular elementary reactions have first-order rate laws, while bimolecular elementary reactions have second-order rate laws.

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

This is consistent with a single-step bimolecular mechanism and it is possible that this is the mechanism for this reaction at high temperatures.

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

Some chemical reactions occur by mechanisms that consist of a single bimolecular elementary reaction.

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

"It's the classic observer effect," says Balaji Rao, an assistant professor of chemical and bimolecular engineering at North Carolina State University in Raleigh.

From Scientific American • Oct. 3, 2012

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023