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carbonate

American  
[kahr-buh-neyt, -nit, kahr-buh-neyt] / ˈkɑr bəˌneɪt, -nɪt, ˈkɑr bəˌneɪt /

noun

  1. a salt or ester of carbonic acid.


verb (used with object)

carbonated, carbonating
  1. to form into a carbonate.

  2. to charge or impregnate with carbon dioxide.

    carbonated drinks.

  3. to make sprightly; enliven.

carbonate British  

noun

  1. a salt or ester of carbonic acid. Carbonate salts contain the divalent ion CO 3 2–

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to form or turn into a carbonate

  2. (tr) to treat with carbon dioxide or carbonic acid, as in the manufacture of soft drinks

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
carbonate Scientific  
/ kärbə-nāt′ /
  1. A salt or ester of carbonic acid, containing the group CO 3. The reaction of carbonic acid with a metal results in a salt (such as sodium carbonate), and the reaction of carbonic acid with an organic compound results in an ester (such as diethyl carbonate).

  2. Any other compound containing the group CO 3. Carbonates include minerals such as calcite and aragonite.

  3. Sediment or a sedimentary rock formed by the precipitation of organic or inorganic carbon from an aqueous solution of carbonates of calcium, magnesium, or iron. Limestone is a carbonate rock.


  1. To add carbon dioxide to a substance, such as a beverage.

Other Word Forms

  • carbonator noun
  • noncarbonate noun
  • noncarbonated adjective
  • semicarbonate adjective
  • uncarbonated adjective

Etymology

Origin of carbonate

1785–95; carbon(ic acid) + -ate 2, later taken as -ate 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The parent company of the Rosemead-based fast-casual Chinese American food chain had to pay a penalty for failing to educate its employees on handling carbon dioxide used for carbonated fountain beverage systems.

From Los Angeles Times

Some of these animals can photosynthesize like plants; some harvest algae and seawater to make calcium carbonate for their underwater castles; some produce their own light or glow in the dark.

From The Wall Street Journal

In a report, BMI says it now expects average 2025 prices for Chinese lithium carbonate at $10,100/metric ton and for Chinese lithium hydroxide at $9,700/ton, both higher than previously envisaged.

From The Wall Street Journal

Proposed alternatives include minerals such as calcium carbonate, alpha alumina, rutile and anatase titania, cubic zirconia, and even diamond.

From Science Daily

These single-celled algae, which contain chlorophyll, float in the sunlit layers of the sea and are coated with calcium carbonate plates known as coccoliths.

From Science Daily