fractionation

Noun

fractionation (countable and uncountable, plural fractionations)

1. A separation process in which a certain quantity of a mixture is divided up into smaller quantities (fractions) in which the composition changes according to a gradient; an instance of this process.
   • Methane is separated from other hydrocarbons in a gas fractionation plant.
   • After several fractionations, we had a usable product.
2. (radiotherapy) The division of a total dose of radiation into fractions.
3. A preliminary stage of encryption that divides each plaintext symbol into several ciphertext symbols.
4. A form of hypnosis where the patient is made to enter and leave a trance state many times in quick succession.
5. A policy in United States law of dividing communal Native American land into lots by person, which are then subdivided by any heirs to the land.
   • The key to any resolution of the problem of fractionation is a clear understanding of the responsibilities of the BIA with regards to managing both tribal and individual assets.1992 July 2, Fractioned Ownership of Indian Lands, volume 4, United States Congress Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs, page 159
   • Although the allotted land is not divided physically, meaning heirs receive an undivided interest in the land, the children, spouses, and other relatives of the original and successive landowners inherit increasingly smaller interests in the land. As a result, fractionation of the ownership...2026 August 31 (last accessed), “Fractionation”, in Land Buy-Back Program For Tribal Nations, United States Department of the Interior