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A 'chain reaction' is a sequence of reactions where a reactive product or by-product causes additional reactions to take place.

★ The neutron-fission chain reaction: a neutron plus a fissionable atom causes a fission resulting in a larger number of neutrons than was consumed in the initial reaction.

★ Chemical reactions, where a product of a reaction is itself a reactive particle which can cause more similar reactions. For example, every step of H₂ + Cl₂ chain reaction consumes one molecule of H₂ or Cl₂, one free radical H· or Cl· producing one HCl molecule and another free radical.

★ Electron avalanche process: Collisions of free electrons in a strong electric field forming "new" electrons to undergo the same process in successive cycles.

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See also

See also

★ Nuclear chain reaction

★ Polymerase chain reaction

★ Markov chain

★ Rube Goldberg machine

★ Causality

★ Butterfly effect

★ Thermal runaway