disproportionation

[dis-pruh-pawr-shuh-ney-shuhn, -pohr-]

noun

Chemistry.

1. the simultaneous oxidation and reduction of a substance reacting with itself, thereby forming two dissimilar molecules, as 2C 2 H 4 →C 2 H 6 +C 2 H 2 .

disproportionation

/ ˌdɪsprəˌpɔːʃəˈneɪʃən /

noun

1. a reaction between two identical molecules in which one is reduced and the other oxidized

Word History and Origins

Origin of disproportionation¹

First recorded in 1925–30; disproportion + -ation

Example Sentences

One such reaction is known as disproportionation, a process by which several sulfites react with each other, turning them into sulfate, and elemental sulfur, which are not useful for origin-of-life chemistry.

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While it's plausible that slow disproportionation could have allowed sulfites to accumulate, photolysis would have made that very unlikely except in certain environments such as shallow water pools, shaded from UV radiation, particularly if fed by surface runoff to provide mineral shields.

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Aluminium compounds in the +1 oxidation state are known, but are thermodynamically unstable with respect to disproportionation.

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