allotropic

Also al·lo·trop·i·cal

[al-uh-trop-ik, -troh-pik]

adjective

1. pertaining to or characterized by allotropy.

Other Word Forms

• allotropically adverb
• allotropicity noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of allotropic¹

First recorded in 1875–80; allotrop(y) + -ic

Example Sentences

"For the creation of quantum mechanics, the application of which has, inter alia, led to the discovery of the allotropic forms of hydrogen."

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In 1845, Schrotter of Vienna discovered amorphous or allotropic phosphorus, which rendered the manufacture of matches less dangerous to health and property.

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Figure 4.—Apparatus for converting white phosphorus into the red allotropic form, 1851.

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It is what chemists call an allotropic form of oxygen, just as the diamond, graphite, and charcoal are all different forms of carbon, and yet the chemical differences are scarcely traceable.

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Vast as that field was, it could not encompass the whole fleet, but half of the lip of the gigantic cone soon disappeared, its component vessels subsiding into a sluggishly flowing stream of allotropic iron.

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