Isolatable

Isolatable is an adjective meaning capable of being isolated or separated from a system or context. It is used across disciplines to describe objects, substances, or concepts that can be detached and maintained independently. The term often appears in technical discussions where separability matters.

In chemistry, isolatable refers to substances or intermediates that can be isolated in a pure form rather than existing only transiently. Whether a species is isolatable depends on stability, reactivity, and available purification methods such as crystallization, distillation, or chromatography. An isolatable compound can be prepared, isolated under suitable conditions, and stored.

In engineering and safety, an isolatable component or power source can be disconnected from a system with rated switches or interlocks. Isolation reduces risk during maintenance or fault conditions and is achieved with devices such as isolation switches, fuses, or isolation transformers.

In computing and information security, isolation describes boundaries between processes or environments. An isolatable subsystem can be separated from the rest of the system to prevent interference or the spread of faults, with tactics such as sandboxing, virtualization, or air-gapping. Isolation supports fault tolerance, testing, and secure design.

Usage notes: while common in technical writing, isolatable can also be written as isolate-able. In some fields the related terms isolation or isolated are preferred. The word emphasizes potential separability rather than an actual division in a given context.