potassium chlorate

American

noun

Chemistry.

a white or colorless, crystalline, water-soluble, poisonous solid, KClO 3 , used chiefly as an oxidizing agent in the manufacture of explosives, fireworks, matches, bleaches, and disinfectants.

potassium chlorate British

noun

a white crystalline soluble substance used in fireworks, matches, and explosives, and as a disinfectant and bleaching agent. Formula: KClO 3

"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 potassium chlorate

First recorded in 1880–85

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 masks release chemicals like barium peroxide, sodium chlorate, and potassium chlorate.

From Salon • Aug. 9, 2021

Solid potassium chlorate, KClO3, decomposes to form solid potassium chloride and diatomic oxygen gas.

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

Write the formulas of barium nitrate and potassium chlorate.

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

These chemicals were mainly ammonium-nitrate fertilizer or potassium chlorate shipped from China for use in Pakistan’s match industry and then smuggled across the border.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 28, 2016

“Sorry, it’s all I’ve got. Anyway, potassium chlorate is unstable under heat and pressure. It's too dangerous for rocket fuel. What do your parents think about the BCMA?”

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023