sulfate
sulfate — noun
1. the US way of writing the word that British English spells as 'sulphate'; both f
the US way of writing the word that British English spells as 'sulphate'; both forms have the same chemical meanings
In American scientific journals, they write 'sulfate' with an 'f'.
US vs UK spelling difference
The spelling 'sulfate' is standard in US chemistry textbooks.
If you see 'sulphate' in a paper, the writer probably follows British conventions.
The Watanabe laboratory uses the US spelling 'sulfate' in all its publications.
用法筆記
This sense is purely a spelling variant. In Taiwan, English-language chemistry materials tend to follow US spelling conventions, so 'sulfate' is the more common form seen locally.
2. a chemical substance formed when sulfuric acid reacts with a metal, alkali, or o
a chemical substance formed when sulfuric acid reacts with a metal, alkali, or other base; many sulfates are used in fertilizers, cleaning products, medicines, and industrial processes
The river contained high levels of sulfate from agricultural runoff.
sulfate as an environmental pollutant
Copper sulfate is often used to control algae in swimming pools.
Magnesium sulfate, also known as Epsom salt, can relieve muscle pain.
Faisal tested the soil sample for sulfate content before planting crops.
文法句型
sulfate + of + metal/element
用法筆記
Countable when referring to a specific type of sulfate (e.g. 'three different sulfates'), uncountable when referring to the general substance. The word often appears as a modifier before another noun, as in 'sulfate salts' or 'sulfate minerals'.
常見錯誤
3. a tiny particle (a negatively charged ion, known as an anion) made of one sulfur
a tiny particle (a negatively charged ion, known as an anion) made of one sulfur atom and four oxygen atoms, written as SO₄²⁻; this ion is the part of a sulfate compound that carries its chemical properties
A sulfate ion carries a negative charge of two and is very stable in water.
sulfate ion as a charged particle
In this reaction, the sulfate group is replaced by a chloride ion.
Xiu studied how the sulfate anion behaves in acidic solutions.
The sulfate group in this molecule is attached to a carbon ring.
- sulfate ion
more explicit term for the charged particle
- sulfate group
used when the SO₄ unit is bonded within a larger molecule
- sulfate anion
emphasises the negative charge
文法句型
sulfate + ion / group / anion
用法筆記
Distinguish from noun sense 2: sense 3 refers specifically to the ionic particle (SO₄²⁻) itself, not to a full salt or ester compound. This sense is used mainly in discussions of chemical bonding, reaction mechanisms, and ionic equations.
常見錯誤
sulfate — verb
1. to add a salt derived from H₂SO₄ to a substance, or to expose a material to that
to add a salt derived from H₂SO₄ to a substance, or to expose a material to that acid itself, so that the material picks up a sulfate group through a chemical reaction — a step common in manufacturing and laboratory chemistry
Valentina sulfated the sample to test for the presence of heavy metals.
sulfate as a laboratory treatment verb
The raw ore is sulfated before the metal can be extracted.
passive form in an industrial process
Nikhil learned how to sulfate organic compounds during his advanced chemistry course.
The team sulfates the wastewater to remove dissolved metal ions.
文法句型
sulfate + object (substance/metal/compound)
用法筆記
Almost entirely restricted to technical chemistry and industrial-engineering writing. Learners at intermediate levels are far more likely to encounter 'sulfate' as a noun than as a verb. The passive construction ('is sulfated') is common in descriptions of manufacturing steps.