Stabilizer (chemistry)


 * For other kinds of stabilizers, see Stabilizer.

In chemistry a stabilizer is a chemical which tends to inhibit the reaction between two or more other chemicals. It can be thought of as the antonym to a catalyst.

Some kinds of stabilizers are:
 * antioxidants, preventing unwanted oxidation of materials
 * sequestrants, forming chelate complexes and inactivating traces of metal ions that would otherwise act as catalysts
 * ultraviolet stabilizers, protecting materials, especially plastics, from harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation
 * UV absorbers, chemicals absorbing ultraviolet radiation and preventing it from penetrating the materials; principially the same as sunscreens
 * quenchers, dissipating the radiation energy as heat instead of letting it break chemical bonds; often organic nickel salts, e.g. nickel phenolates
 * scavengers, eliminating the free radicals formed by ultraviolet radiation; often hindered amine light stabilizers (HALS)