Interconvertible

Interconvertible is an adjective describing two or more forms that can be converted into each other through a reversible process.

In chemistry, many forms are interconvertible under appropriate conditions. Conformers, such as different chair forms of cyclohexane, interconvert by rotation around bonds. Keto–enol tautomers interconvert in solution. Some isomers interconvert upon exposure to light, heat, or catalysts, while others are effectively fixed on practical timescales due to high energy barriers.

In physics and materials science, interconvertibility describes the ability to switch between states, such as spin states, charge states, or polarization configurations, often in a reversible manner. In mathematics and computer science, data representations or problem encodings can be interconvertible, meaning one form can be transformed into another without information loss, as in converting between a graph’s adjacency matrix and adjacency list or between different coordinate systems.

Interconvertibility depends on factors such as energy barriers, temperature, solvent, and catalysts. If the barrier is low relative to thermal energy, interconversion proceeds rapidly; high barriers render the process effectively irreversible on practical timescales. Equilibria describe the balance of interconvertible forms, with the relative populations determined by thermodynamics and conditions of the system.

Overall, interconvertibility captures the reversible relationship between distinct states, representations, or forms that can be transformed into one another without permanent change in composition.