A chemical reaction where acetic anhydride breaks down a compound into smaller parts, commonly used to prepare microscopic samples for study.
From aceto- (acetic acid) + -lysis (Greek 'lysis' meaning breakdown or splitting). It describes a splitting process using acetic anhydride as the breakdown agent.
Paleontologists use acetolysis to clean fossils and pollen samples—acetic anhydride dissolves away unwanted organic material, revealing the actual fossilized structures under a microscope, making it an archaeologist's secret chemical weapon.
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