monotropy
noun
mo·not·ro·py
məˈnä‧trəpē
plural -es
: the relation of two different forms of the same substance (as white and red phosphorus) that have no definite transition point since only one form (as red phosphorus) is stable and the change from the unstable form to the stable form is irreversible
Word History
Etymology
International Scientific Vocabulary mon- + -tropy; probably originally formed as German monotropie