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hexavalent

American  
[hek-suh-vay-luhnt] / ˈhɛk səˌveɪ lənt /

adjective

Chemistry.
  1. having a valence of six.


hexavalent British  
/ ˌhɛksəˈveɪlənt /

adjective

  1. Also: sexivalent. chem having a valency of six

"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

Etymology

Origin of hexavalent

First recorded in 1885–90; hexa- + -valent


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.

See Examples For:

In particular, they cited the government’s evaluation of chemicals including formaldehyde, inorganic arsenic and hexavalent chromium, which can be used or created by industrial processes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2025

The tank holds hexavalent chromium, a reddish-brown solution widely used in plating that has been shown to cause lung cancer in humans if inhaled.

From New York Times ● Mar. 15, 2024

It is thought the curious feline had been in a vat of hexavalent chromium, a highly acidic and carcinogenic chemical which is orange and brown in colour.

From BBC ● Mar. 12, 2024

As a result, these hexavalent COFs produce H2O2 spontaneously and efficiently from water and atmospheric air when exposed to visible light in both batch and flow reactors.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 28, 2024

O, usually divalent, but tetravalent and possibly hexavalent in oxonium and other salts; S, Se, Te, di-, tetra- and hexa-valent; Cr, di-, tri- and hexa-valent; Mo, W, di-, tri-, tetra-, penta- and hexa-valent.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 1 "Châtelet" to "Chicago" by Various

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