degenerate chain branching

https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.D01557
Sometimes
chain branching
is brought about by an intermediate which has a long
lifetime
compared with an ordinary
free radical
. If this intermediate can break down in different ways, only one of which leads to branching, there may be a relatively slow increase in the number of radicals, and there is said to be degenerate
chain branching
.
Source:
PAC, 1996, 68, 149. (A glossary of terms used in chemical kinetics, including reaction dynamics (IUPAC Recommendations 1996)) on page 162 [Terms] [Paper]