Title: initializer Long Title: IUPAC Gold Book - initializer DOI: 10.1351/goldbook.08957 Status: current Definition Starting initiator or transfer agent in reversible-deactivation polymerization (RDP). Example A starting alkoxyamine initiator in aminoxyl-mediated radical polymerization (AMRP), a starting alkyl halide initiator in atom-transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) and a starting RAFT agent in RAFT polymerization. Related Terms - RAFT agent: https://goldbook.iupac.org//terms/view/08968 - RAFT polymerization: https://goldbook.iupac.org//terms/view/08935 - aminoxyl-mediated radical polymerization: https://goldbook.iupac.org//terms/view/08917 - atom-transfer radical polymerization: https://goldbook.iupac.org//terms/view/08924 - reversible-deactivation polymerization: https://goldbook.iupac.org//terms/view/08912 - transfer agent: https://goldbook.iupac.org//terms/view/08947 Source - PAC, 2022, 94, 1093. 'Terminology for chain polymerization (IUPAC Recommendations 2021)' on page 1122 (https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2020-1211) Other Outputs - html: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/08957/html - json: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/08957/json - xml: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/08957/xml Citation: Citation: 'initializer' in IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 5th ed. International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry; 2025. Online version 5.0.0, 2025. 10.1351/goldbook.08957 License: The IUPAC Gold Book is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike CC BY-SA 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) for individual terms. Collection: If you are interested in licensing the Gold Book for commercial use, please contact the IUPAC Executive Director at executivedirector@iupac.org . Disclaimer: The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) is continuously reviewing and, where needed, updating terms in the Compendium of Chemical Terminology (the IUPAC Gold Book). Users of these terms are encouraged to include the version of a term with its use and to check regularly for updates to term definitions that you are using. Accessed: 2026-06-22T01:32:13+00:00