dissociates

Dissociates is the third-person singular present tense of the verb to dissociate. In most scientific and scholarly uses, it functions as a verb form rather than a standalone noun. When people refer to the products of dissociation, they usually describe them as dissociation products or dissociated species rather than using the term dissociates as a noun.

In chemistry, dissociation describes a process in which a compound separates into smaller units, typically ions, in a solvent. The entities that result are the dissociated species or dissociation products. The extent of dissociation is described by equilibrium constants, such as the dissociation constant (Ka for acids) or the base dissociation constant (Kb). For example, sodium chloride dissociates in water into Na+ and Cl− ions. Strong electrolytes dissociate completely, while weak electrolytes dissociate only partially.

In psychology and related fields, dissociation refers to a mental process in which thoughts, memories, or identities become separated from conscious awareness or from one another. The verb form to dissociate is used to describe the action, as in "the patient dissociates during the trauma." The corresponding noun is dissociation; there is no standard noun form dissociates in this context.

Usage notes: The spelling disassociate is also encountered, but in scientific writing dissociate is generally preferred to avoid confusion. Disassociate is used in some non-scientific contexts, though it can be seen as less precise in technical writing. The term dissociation and its derivatives are central to discussions of ionic solutions, chemical equilibria, and certain psychological phenomena depending on the disciplinary context.