A hypothetical substance once theorized to be involved in opposing or neutralizing phlogiston in chemical reactions.
From antiphlogistic + -in (a chemical suffix). This was a speculative substance name from 18th-century chemistry when scientists were still working with flawed theoretical frameworks.
Scientists literally invented a fake substance ('antiphlogistin') to explain why their other fake substance (phlogiston) didn't work—a perfect example of how theories can become increasingly convoluted rather than simpler.
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