autopolymerization

noun3

1. •
   A chemical reaction in which a monomer undergoes polymerization spontaneously, often due to environmental factors such as heat, light, or inherent instability.

   • It is usually necessary to protect the purified monomers from autopolymerization in storage. The inhibitor used for this purpose is removed by distillation or washing. — 1974
2. •
   The process by which an autopolymer hardens.
3. •
   A chemical reaction in which a monomer undergoes polymerisation spontaneously, often due to environmental factors such as heat, light, or inherent instability.

   • The fats remain, to be altered by heat and pressured into hydrocarbons, whose boiling points lie below 300°; and these later undergo a partial autopolymerization into denser forms. — 1908