A chemical reaction in which a substance combines with oxygen from the air without external heating or ignition, often producing heat and potentially flames.
From auto- (self) + oxidation. Chemistry term developed in the 19th century to describe spontaneous oxygen-combining reactions discovered through systematic study of combustion.
Autoxidation is why old cooking oils smell rancid, why butter goes bad in the fridge, and why certain materials can spontaneously combust in warehouses—oxygen is invisibly attacking them the whole time.
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