Deiodinises

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Removes iodine atoms from molecules, typically in a chemical or biochemical process
2. Strips iodine elements away from organic or inorganic substances through a reaction
3. Causes the elimination of iodine components from a compound by chemical means

Etymology: "Deiodinise" is a chemistry and biochemistry coinage built from the prefix "de-", meaning "removal of" or "reversal of", and "iodinise", which means to treat or combine with iodine. Iodine itself takes its name from the Greek "iodes", meaning "violet-coloured", a reference to the purple vapour the element gives off when heated, observed by Bernard Courtois in 1811. The "-ise" ending is the British spelling of the verbal suffix, so the word follows the same pattern as "oxidise" and "reduce" in its chemical sense. The verb is most significant in biochemistry, where enzymes called deiodinases remove iodine from thyroid hormones. The thyroid gland produces thyroxine (T4), which carries four iodine atoms, and deiodinase enzymes strip one of them to produce the more active triiodothyronine (T3). Because of this, the process of removing iodine is central to how the body regulates metabolism, and the word describes a step the body performs constantly.

Synonyms: deiodinates, removes iodine, dehalogenates, iodine cleavage, iodine removal