a technique for producing and investigating free radicals. A low-pressure gas is subjected to a flash of radiation to produce the radicals, subsequent flashes being used to identify them and assess their lifetimes by absorption spectroscopy
flash photolysis in American English
noun
Chemistry
the study of photochemical reaction mechanisms in gases by analyzing spectroscopically the reaction products in a gas mixture irradiated with a powerful light flash
Word origin
[1945–50]This word is first recorded in the period 1945–50. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: fail-safe, poison pill, regression analysis, spin-off, synchronized swimming