sulphate
Meaning
A salt or ester of sulphuric acid.
Structure
Usage
Copper sulphate is a common compound used in agriculture and industry.
The presence of calcium sulphate in the water makes it hard.
The laboratory procedure involved precipitating the barium sulphate.
Etymology
The word 'sulphate' is a modern chemical term constructed from classical elements. Its first component, 'sulph-', derives directly from the Latin sulphur, referring to the yellow, combustible element known since antiquity. The suffix '-ate' originates from the Latin participial ending -atus, which was adopted into scientific nomenclature to systematically denote salts derived from acids. Thus, the literal construction "sulphur salt" logically defines a sulphate as a compound containing the sulphate anion (SO₄²⁻), which is the core ionic group derived from sulphuric acid.
Analysis
- sulph: From Latin sulphur (brimstone, sulphur). Denotes the element sulphur. - ate: A suffix from Latin -atus, used in chemistry to form names of salts or esters, especially of acids with names ending in -ic.