Title: degradation
Long Title: IUPAC Gold Book - degradation
DOI: 10.1351/goldbook.13890
Status: current

Definition
Progressive loss of the performance or of the characteristics of a substance or a device.

Note
The process of degradation may be specified by a prefix or an adjective preceding the term "degradation". For example, degradation caused by the action of water is termed "hydrodegradation" or hydrolysis; by visible or ultraviolet light is termed "photodegradation"; by the action of oxygen or by the combined action of light and oxygen is termed "oxidative degradation" or "photooxidative degradation", respectively; by the action of heat or by the combined effect of chemical agents and heat is termed "thermal degradation" or "thermochemical degradation", respectively; by the combined action of heat and oxygen is termed "thermooxidative degradation".

Source
- PAC, 2012, 84, 377. 'Terminology for biorelated polymers and applications (IUPAC Recommendations 2012)' on page 387 (https://doi.org/10.1351/PAC-REC-10-12-04)

Other Outputs
- html: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/13890/html
- json: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/13890/json
- xml: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/13890/xml

Citation: Citation: 'degradation' 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.13890
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Accessed: 2026-07-12T21:14:53+00:00