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Decomposition or rot is the process by which dead organic substances are broken down into simpler organic or inorganic matter such as carbon dioxide, water, simple sugars and mineral salts. The process is a part of the nutrient cycle and is essential for recycling the finite matter that occupies physical space in the biosphere.
Thermal decomposition, or thermolysis, is a chemical decomposition of a substance caused by heat. The decomposition temperature of a substance is the temperature at which the substance chemically decomposes. The reaction is usually endothermic as heat is required to break chemical bonds in the compound undergoing
A self-accelerating decomposition occurs when the rate of peroxide decomposition is sufficient to generate heat at a faster rate than it can be dissipated to the environment. Temperature is the main factor in determining the decomposition rate, although the size of the package is also important since its dimensions will determine the ability to ...
The climate and temperature in which a corpse decomposes can have great effect on the rate of decomposition; [11] higher temperatures accelerate the physiological reactions in the body after death and speed up the rate of decomposition, and cooler temperatures may slow the rate of decomposition.
At the very high temperature of 3,000 °C (3,270 K; 5,430 °F) more than half of the water molecules are decomposed. At ambient temperatures only one molecule in 100 trillion dissociates by the effect of heat. [15] The high temperature requirements and material constraints have limited the applications of the thermal decomposition approach.
One classical thermal escape mechanism is Jeans escape, [1] named after British astronomer Sir James Jeans, who first described this process of atmospheric loss. [2] In a quantity of gas, the average velocity of any one molecule is measured by the gas's temperature, but the velocities of individual molecules change as they collide with one another, gaining and losing kinetic energy.
It is regulated by moisture, temperature, and bacteria. [5] This process does not occur at a uniform rate and thus some proteins are degraded during early decomposition, while others are degraded during later stages of decomposition. During the early stages of decomposition, soft tissue proteins are broken down. These include proteins that:
The free energy curve is plotted as a function of composition for a temperature below the convolute temperature, T. Equilibrium phase compositions are those corresponding to the free energy minima. Regions of negative curvature (∂ 2 f/∂c 2 < 0 ) lie within the inflection points of the curve (∂ 2 f/∂c 2 = 0 ) which are called the spinodes.