Thermal decomposition

Thermal decomposition, also called thermolysis (roughly "to break with heat"), is a process where heat causes a chemical compound to break down into simpler chemical compounds or elements.^[1]

Types

If the compound is exposed to oxygen, usually from the air, the reaction is called calcination.^[2] If an inert gas is used instead of air, it is pyrolysis.^[3]

Cracking is the thermolysis of large molecules like hydrocarbons, with or without a catalyst.^[4]