bromsfade

Bromsfade is a term used in speculative chemistry and some science fiction contexts to describe a hypothetical process by which brominated compounds gradually lose color or brightness when exposed to light, heat, or radiation. The name blends bromine, a halogen commonly used in dyes and polymers, with fade, signaling progressive decolorization.

In these fictional or hypothetical discussions, bromsfade is attributed to photochemical reactions that break carbon-bromine bonds and disrupt chromophoric structures, or to rearrangements that remove color-bearing groups. The rate and outcome of bromsfade are said to depend on factors such as light spectrum and intensity, oxygen availability, temperature, and the specific molecular architecture of the brominated compound.

Potentially affected materials include brominated dyes, pigments, and polymers used in art, archival storage, or decorative coatings. In narrative uses, bromsfade can serve as a plot device to explain why a historically significant text’s cover or a color in a mural changes over centuries.

Because bromsfade is not a standard term in established chemistry, it is typically treated as a speculative concept rather than a validated phenomenon. It is sometimes discussed in glossaries of speculative science or in worldbuilding resources to illustrate topics like colorfastness and photodegradation in fictional settings.

See also: photobleaching, photooxidation, colorfastness, halogenated compounds, pigment degradation.