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⚛️ Replacing atom 🔄 Replacement process ✏️ Word replacement
substitutional

substitutional

9.3
An atom in a solid that takes the place of a regular atom in the structure
  • adjective
  • /ˌsʌbstɪˈtjuːʃənl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : sustitucional
  • Consider the case of a substitutional donor, arsenic.

Examples

  • That way you get simple substitutional solid solutions.

  • In the alloy, the iron atoms can be replaced by substitutional impurities like manganese.

  • So the simple reaction says that a substitutional plus I goes to AI.

  • The researchers examined how substitutional defects impact the conductivity of the material.

  • Substitutional elements can enhance the properties of the crystal lattice in metal alloys.

Surface Forms

substitutional positive

Morphology

substitutional = substitution (semi-transparent) = substitution + al

The word is built transparently from 'substitution' plus '-al', but this sense is a specialized technical use in materials science.

Etymology

Substitutional comes from substitute, which is made of sub- 'under' and -stitute 'place', so it means 'put in the place of'. In materials like metals a substitutional atom is one that 'takes the place' of a host atom in the solid's regular structure, which explains the name.