energy of activation

Definitions of energy of activation
  1. noun
    the energy that an atomic system must acquire before a process (such as an emission or reaction) can occur
    “catalysts are said to reduce the energy of activation during the transition phase of a reaction”
    synonyms: activation energy
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    type of:
    energy, free energy
    (physics) a thermodynamic quantity equivalent to the capacity of a physical system to do work; the units of energy are joules or ergs
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