intermediate
n. countablen. a substance that is made during a middle step of a chemical process. It is not the starting material or the final product, but something that exists briefly in between.
n. a molecular entity that is formed from the reactants and reacts further to give the directly observed products of a chemical reaction. It represents a local minimum on a potential energy surface and has a finite lifetime.
The chemist identified a short-lived intermediate during the reaction.
Researchers are studying the carbon intermediate to understand how the catalyst speeds up the overall process.
The reaction mechanism involves a highly reactive radical intermediate that must be stabilized at low temperatures to prevent the formation of unwanted side products.
Borrowed from Medieval Latin intermediātus, perfect passive participle of intermediō (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), further from intermedius (“intermediate”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix).
From a substantivization of the above adjective, see -ate (noun-forming suffix) and Etymology 1 for more.
Borrowed from Medieval Latin intermediātus, see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and Etymology 1 for more.
Commonly used in technical contexts to describe a transitional state or substance; often paired with adjectives like 'reactive', 'stable', or 'transient'.