different between pyrolysis vs pyrophoric

English

Wikidata

Etymology

From the Ancient Greek terms ??? (pûr, “fire”) and ????? (lúsis, “loosing”); synchronically, pyro- +? -lysis.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation)¹ IPA^(key): /p????l?s?s/
• (Received Pronunciation)² IPA^(key): /pa????l?s?s/

Noun

pyrolysis (countable and uncountable, plural pyrolyses)

1. (chemistry, physics) The decomposition of a material or compound due to heat, in the absence of oxygen or other reagents.
   • 1972, A. C. Knipe, Chapter 4: Elimination Reactions, B. Capon, C. W. Rees (editors), Organic Reaction Mechanisms 1971, page 143,

     Techniques that have successfully identified ionic intermediates in solution have been applied to gas-phase pyrolyses.

   • 1980, J. H. Purnell, Homogeneous Alkane Cracking, William Pryor (editor), Frontiers of Free Radical Chemistry: The route to quantitative description to very high conversion, page 94,

     Twenty years ago our real understanding of the mechanism of alkane pyrolyses was little better than rudimentary.

   • 2001, P. T. Williams, R. P. Bottrill, A. J. Brindle, A. M. Cunliffe, The potential of pyrolysis for recycling used tyres, Ravindra K. Dhir, Mukesh C. Limbachiya, Kevin A. Paine (editors), Recycling and Reuse of Used Tyres: Proceedings of the International Symposium, page 187,

     Pyrolysis involves the thermal degradation of the rubber of the tyre to give an oil and gas leaving a residual solid carbon and the steel casing of the tyre.

   • 2006, John C. F. Walker, Primary Wood Processing: Principles and Practice, 2nd Edition, Springer, page 541,

     Traditional pyrolysis of wood relies on low temperatures and long processing time to increase the charcoal yield. In contrast, modern or fast pyrolysis uses moderate temperatures (400-500°C) and very short residence times (typically only a few seconds) to maximize the production of liquids (Diebold and Bridgewater, 1997).

Related terms

• pyrolyse, pyrolyze
• pyrolytic
• pyrolytically
• pyro-

Translations

See also

• autolysis
• electrolysis
• hydrolysis
• photolysis
• fire

English

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ????????? (purophóros, “fire-bearing”) +? -ic. Analyzable as pyro- +? -phore +? -ic

Pronunciation

py*ro*phor*ic

Adjective

pyrophoric

1. spontaneously igniting in air, especially when in a finely divided state
2. producing sparks, especially by friction
3. (fire investigation) Able to oxidize with exposure to atmospheric oxygen at normal temperatures.

Related terms

• pyro-
• spontaneous combustion
• fire
• pyrolysis
• pyrophoric alloy

Translations

References

DeHaan, J. D. (2002). Kirk's fire investigation (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education. (3)