1. plural of fractionation; the process of separating a mixture into its component parts or fractions, especially by chemical or physical means
Usage: commonly used in chemistry, biology, and industrial processes
2. instances or results of dividing something into smaller, distinct parts or groups
Usage: used in social, political, or organizational contexts

Examples

• The laboratory performed multiple fractionations of the blood sample to isolate different proteins.
• Fractionations of crude oil produce gasoline, diesel, and other useful products.
• The political party experienced several fractionations that weakened its overall influence.
• Scientists used chromatography for the fractionations of complex organic compounds.
• The fractionations of the population into smaller groups made consensus difficult to achieve.
• Industrial fractionations of natural gas yield methane, ethane, and propane.