activation Definition

to make active or more active: such as

to make (something, such as a molecule) reactive or more reactive

to convert (something, such as a provitamin) into a biologically active derivative

neutron activation analysis

the minimum amount of energy required to convert a normal stable molecule into a reactive molecule

an analytical method used to determine the chemical elements comprising a material by bombarding it with neutrons to produce radioactive atoms whose emissions are indicative of the elements present —called also neutron activation