chemical mechanism
- noun
- Specialized
:
mecanismo químico
- It would be an interesting task to unveil the chemical mechanism by which CAA is converted into FAA under these conditions.
Examples
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There also appear to be both genetic and chemical mechanisms to promote outcrossing in homosporous species.
Academic text (2002) -
Harry Gray's group at Caltech added a set of ligands to cobalt, slowing the reaction so that they could observe a key intermediate and then determine the chemical mechanism.
Blog text (29) -
The research team discovered a novel chemical mechanism that explains how certain reactions occur at the molecular level.
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Understanding the chemical mechanism of photosynthesis is crucial for advancements in renewable energy technologies.
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Scientists are investigating the chemical mechanism that leads to antibiotic resistance in bacteria.
Synonyms
258
4.4
A process that shows how something works in science
How Complex
- Specialized
- Specialized
123
3.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'chemical' specifies the domain of 'mechanism', so a 'chemical mechanism' is simply the mechanism (ordered steps) relating to chemistry or reactions. This follows a regular adjective+noun pattern found cross-linguistically and in technical language, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
Chemical mechanism paints a picture of tiny parts working like a small machine: the chemical pieces move in a set order inside the mechanism, like gears that push each other. So, it means 'the series of steps by which a chemical reaction occurs'.