【英语时差8,16】活化能，火，燃烧棒（下）

Okay, so if the wood is full of carbon and hydrogen, and the air is full of oxygen, why doesn’t the kindling¹ burn all by itself? Remember we said that given a chance, these atoms will link up to form molecules². But carbon, for example, won’t combine with oxygen unless it’s given enough energy to jumpstart the process. Physicists³ call this the “activation⁴ energy.” You add that extra activation energy to the wood by holding a match to it. Once the atoms in the wood have been prompted to start combining with oxygen, the energy that they release will act as activation energy for more combination. Now the process runs by itself. The kindling has caught fire.

1 kindling   

n. 点火, 可燃物 动词kindle的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• There were neat piles of kindling wood against the wall. 墙边整齐地放着几堆引火柴。
• "Coal and kindling all in the shed in the backyard." “煤，劈柴，都在后院小屋里。” 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子

2 molecules   

分子( molecule的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The structure of molecules can be seen under an electron microscope. 分子的结构可在电子显微镜下观察到。
• Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules. 在反应堆里，大分子裂变为小分子。

3 physicists   

物理学家( physicist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• For many particle physicists, however, it was a year of frustration. 对于许多粒子物理学家来说，这是受挫折的一年。 来自英汉非文学 - 科技
• Physicists seek rules or patterns to provide a framework. 物理学家寻求用法则或图式来构成一个框架。

4 activation   

n. 激活，催化作用

参考例句：

• A computer controls the activation of an air bag.电脑控制着气囊的启动。