A phenomenon where a substance suddenly releases stored heat energy, often occurring when certain metals are heated and undergo structural changes.
From de- (reversal) + Latin 'calescere' (to grow warm) + -ence (state of). The term describes the opposite of incandescence—heat is released rather than absorbed.
Decalescence is why iron suddenly gets dimmer in the dark when heated to certain temperatures—it's undergoes a crystal structure change called recalescence that temporarily releases all that stored heat energy!
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