carboxylate

[kahr-bok-suh-leyt]

verb (used with object)

carboxylated, carboxylating 

1. to introduce the carboxyl group into (an organic compound).

noun

1. a salt or ester of a carboxylic acid.

carboxylate

/ kɑːˈbɒksɪˌleɪt /

noun

1. any salt or ester of a carboxylic acid having a formula of the type M(RCOO) x , where M is a metal and R an organic group, or R ¹ COOR², where R ¹ and R² are organic groups

carboxylate

1. A salt or ester of an organic acid, containing the radical COO. Soaps, which are usually the sodium or potassium salts of fatty acids, are carboxylates.

Word History and Origins

Origin of carboxylate¹

First recorded in 1925–30; carboxyl + -ate ²

Example Sentences

These cluster roots exude negatively charged compound called carboxylate that can liberate phosphorus from the soil and make it available for the plant to use.

Read more on Salon

Structures of related enzymes have shown that the C terminus penetrates the enzyme so that the main chain carboxylate of the C-terminal residue binds the catalytic iron.

Read more on Science Magazine