tautomerism

[ taw-tom-uh-riz-uhm ]

noun

, Chemistry.

1. the ability of certain organic compounds to react in isomeric structures that differ from each other in the position of a hydrogen atom and a double bond.

tautomerism

/ tɔːˈtɒməˌrɪzəm; ˌtɔːtəˈmɛrɪk /

noun

1. the ability of certain chemical compounds to exist as a mixture of two interconvertible isomers in equilibrium See also keto-enol tautomerism

Derived Forms

• tautomeric, adjective

Other Words From

• tau·to·mer·ic [taw-t, uh, -, mer, -ik], adjective
• nontau·to·meric adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of tautomerism¹

First recorded in 1880–85; tauto- + (iso)merism

Word History and Origins

Origin of tautomerism¹

C19: from tauto- + isomerism

Example Sentences

Although that experiment was essentially a proof of concept, Repp thinks his team can shrink the time resolution of THz-STM down to 10 fs, which could reveal even faster processes: electrons gliding across a molecule after it has absorbed light, or hydrogen ions hopping back and forth between different sites, a process called tautomerism that affects the reactivity of many biological molecules.

From Nature

By experiments conducted with the hydroxy- pyridines he believed that he had demonstrated a relation between tautomerism or changed space relations in these sort of substances and curative properties.

From Project Gutenberg