chain reaction 
noun
1A chemical reaction or other process in which the products themselves promote or spread the reaction.It can protect the polyunsaturated fatty acids in cell membranes from the autocatalytic chain reaction of lipid peroxidation....
- Thousands or hundreds of thousands or even millions of these monomer fragments then add to each other in a chain reaction to form polymers.
- The entire process is the chain reaction called lipid peroxidation.
1.1The self-sustaining fission reaction spread by neutrons which occurs in nuclear reactors and bombs.Because fission releases additional neutrons, a chain reaction can take place....
- On 2 December 1942, in a laboratory under the university football stadium, Fermi achieved the first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction.
- This free neutron then causes a chain reaction which releases a huge amount of energy.
1.2A series of events, each caused by the previous one: the wine provoked a chain reaction of memories...
- Welcome to the British Islands… the North Sea archipelago that could be left if global warming starts a chain reaction of events contributing to rising seas.
- The mayor William and Lea began to talk about the weekend event, starting a chain reaction of conversations.
- When I read about food, sometimes a single word is enough to detonate a chain reaction of associative memories.