FRACTIONATED

Fractionated is an adjective derived from fractionate, meaning divided into parts or fractions. In general usage, it describes processes that separate a larger whole into portions or apply division to a sequence of steps or components. The term is common in scientific and medical literature and often appears in phrases such as fractionated distillation or fractionated dosing.

In chemistry and chemical engineering, fractionation refers to separating a mixture into fractions that differ in volatility, composition, or other properties. The classic example is fractional distillation, which uses a fractionating column to improve separation of components with close boiling points, yielding products such as fuels or solvents. Fractionation can also apply to crystallization, chromatography, or gas separations where fractions represent purer or more distinct components.

In medicine and biology, fractionation often means dividing a prescribed treatment into multiple smaller doses over time. Radiation therapy uses dose fractionation, delivering the total radiation in several fractions over days or weeks to maximize tumor control while limiting damage to healthy tissue. Fractionated dosing is also used in certain drug regimens to improve tolerability or pharmacodynamics. In transfusion medicine and bioprocessing, fractionation refers to separating whole blood or plasma into components (red cells, platelets, plasma) or isolating specific components for therapeutic use.

Fractionation has broad applicability in research and industry, including fractionating biological samples to study subcellular components, or fractionating energy or mass in physical analyses. The exact meaning of fractionated depends on context, but it generally implies division into defined parts or stages.