autoionizationn.
/ˌɔːtəʊˌʌɪənʌɪˈzeɪʃn/, U.S. /ˌɔdoʊˌaɪənəˈzeɪʃ(ə)n/, /ˌɑdoʊˌaɪənəˈzeɪʃ(ə)n/, /ˌɔdoʊˌaɪəˌnaɪˈzeɪʃ(ə)n/, /ˌɑdoʊˌaɪəˌnaɪˈzeɪʃ(ə)n/ 1. Chemistry. The spontaneous ionization of a substance or molecule; a reaction between two identical neutral molecules, esp. in a solution, to produce an anion and a cation; = self-ionization n.
ΚΠ
1907 Jrnl. Amer. Chem. Soc. 29 1395 The conductivity of the most concentrated solutions, in that they approach the condition of the melted salt, is therefore..due to the autoionization of the salt.
1919 Proc. National Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 5 581 The lower solvolytic action of ammonia as compared with water..results from the very slight autoionization of the former solvent.
1970 Ann. Rep. NMR Spectrosc. 3 393 There was no evidence of autoionization of the nitrile complexes in acetonitrile solution.
2005 M. Fry & E. Page Catch up Chem. vii. 83 The autoionisation of water is fundamental to an understanding of the acid–base behaviour of biological molecules.
2. Physics. The spontaneous transition of an atom to an ionized state of lower energy with the emission of an electron (but no emission of radiation).
ΚΠ
1931 A. G. Shenstone in Physical Rev. 38 874 This effect has been referred to as the Auger effect from its analogy to the effect in x-rays discovered by Auger; but I believe that it could much more logically be called auto-ionization.
1938 H. S. W. Massey Negative Ions i. 20 Ions of this type can be of little practical importance as they will usually dissociate rapidly by a process of autoionization, i.e. X−′→X + e.
1962 Rep. Progress Physics 25 172 This hypothesis is supported by the broad absorption lines between 1930 and 1940 Å produced by auto-ionization of Al I.
2003 L. J. Curtis Atomic Struct. & Lifetimes x. 204 (heading) Autoionization rates in doubly excited levels in Li-like quartet levels.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, June 2011; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
<
n.1907