radiolytic
1
9.9
- adjective
- /ˌreɪdiəˈlɪtɪk/
- Specialized
- Referring to foods irradiated for the space program, the FDA states in the March 8 Federal Register that the total amount of radiolytic products or changes produced in meats during the irradiation process is too small to be of any toxicological or human health significance.
- radiolytic products
Examples
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The only difference, he says, is that in irradiated food, these changes are called "radiolytic products" because they result from radiation.
Academic text (1995) -
The scientist studied how radiolytic changes affected the molecular structure of the material.
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The research highlighted the radiolytic processes that occur when food is exposed to radiation.
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In the experiment, the team measured the radiolytic effects on various chemical compounds.
Surface Forms
Morphology
radiolytic = radiolysis (semi-transparent) = radiolysis + ic
Formed from the technical noun 'radiolysis' with the adjective-forming suffix '-ic'; the relation is clear morphologically but the base is specialized, so it's not fully obvious to general learners.
Etymology
Radiolytic comes from radio- meaning 'ray' or radiation and -lytic meaning 'to break', as in the word analysis. So radiolytic literally means 'broken by rays', which explains why it describes chemical changes caused by radiation.