Isomerisation

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The transformation of a chemical compound to yield isomers which have identical molecular formulas but distinct structural arrangements occurs as a result of this reaction
2. This chemical process results in the rearrangement of atoms within a substance, producing isomers that differ in configuration while possessing the same molecular formula
3. The occurrence of a chemical reaction that alters the arrangement of atoms to create different isomers sharing the same molecular formula results in this process

Etymology: "Isomerisation" is a plain technical compound, built from "isomer" plus the suffix "-isation". The first part, "isomer," comes from Greek "isos," meaning "equal," and "meros," meaning "part," a name that reflects the idea of molecules made of the same parts arranged differently. The suffix passes through Old French "-ation" from Latin "-ātiō," which turns a verb into a noun for an action or process. The "-ise" element, from Greek "-ízō" through Late Latin "-izō," turns a noun or adjective into a verb meaning "to make" or "to undergo." Put together, the word names the process of changing one substance's molecular arrangement into an isomer. It is a modern scientific coinage from classical building blocks rather than a word the ancient Greeks or Romans used, and it belongs to the chemistry vocabulary that grew up once chemists began distinguishing molecules with identical formulas but different structures.