What does autocatalysis mean?
Autocatalysis is a process in which a chemical reaction produces a substance that then catalyzes — that is, accelerates — the very reaction that created it. In ordinary catalysis, the speeding-up agent is added from outside; in autocatalysis, the reaction supplies its own accelerator, so the rate increases as products accumulate. A classic laboratory example is the acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of esters, where the acid formed acts on further substrate. Beyond chemistry, the term is borrowed metaphorically to describe any self-reinforcing loop, such as a market effect or social trend that grows by feeding on its own success. The word comes from Greek roots: autos, meaning self, and katalysis, meaning dissolution or loosening. Its adjective form, autocatalytic, appears frequently in scientific writing. Autocatalysis matters because it explains why some reactions start sluggishly and then race ahead, and because it underlies models of self-organization and the origins of life.
nounA chemical reaction in which at least one of the products acts as a catalyst for the reaction itself, causing the reaction to accelerate as it proceeds. More broadly, any self-reinforcing process in which an output feeds back to speed up its own production.
- A chemical reaction in which a product catalyzes its own formation.
- By extension, any self-reinforcing process analogous to such a reaction.
"The hydrolysis of ethyl acetate speeds up dramatically because the acetic acid produced performs autocatalysis."
"The ester hydrolysis proceeded slowly at first until autocatalysis by the accumulating acid took hold."
"Economists describe the network effect on social platforms as a kind of market autocatalysis."
The plural follows the Greek-derived -is/-es pattern shared with analyses and paralyses, and is rare outside technical contexts since autocatalysis usually refers to a general phenomenon.
"Several distinct autocatalyses were observed across the reaction series."
In autocatalysis, a reaction manufactures its own accelerator — the more it happens, the faster it happens.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of autocatalysis
Autocatalysis combines the Greek prefix auto-, meaning self, with catalysis, which derives from Greek katalysis (dissolution, loosening), formed from kata- (down) and lyein (to loosen). The term catalysis was introduced into chemistry by Jöns Jacob Berzelius in the 1830s, and autocatalysis emerged shortly afterward as chemists identified reactions accelerated by their own products. Cognates sharing these roots include catalyst, catalytic, and analysis.
Related word forms
How autocatalysis is actually used
A technical term used chiefly in chemistry and biochemistry; figurative use in economics or sociology is understood but should be signposted for general readers. The adjective 'autocatalytic' is considerably more common than the noun in scientific prose.
Easily confused with autocatalysis
Catalysis is acceleration of a reaction by an external catalyst, whereas autocatalysis is the special case where one of the reaction's own products serves as the catalyst.