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sulfate

American  
[suhl-feyt] / ˈsʌl feɪt /

noun

  • sulfates
    plural
  1. Chemistry. a salt or ester of sulfuric acid.


verb (used with object)

sulfated, sulfating
  1. to combine, treat, or impregnate with sulfuric acid, a sulfate, or sulfates.

  2. to convert into a sulfate.

  3. Electricity. to form a deposit of lead-sulfate compound on (the lead electrodes of a storage battery).

verb (used without object)

sulfated, sulfating
  1. to become sulfated.

sulfate Scientific  
/ sŭlfāt′ /
  1. A salt or ester of sulfuric acid, containing the group SO 4.


Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

Etymology

Origin of sulfate

From the New Latin word sulphātum, dating back to 1780–90. See sulfur, -ate 2

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:

The ban sent mining firms scrambling to build plants to process lithium sulfate, a step along the value chain towards battery‑grade materials.

From Barron's Jul. 26, 2026

Sulfur is abundant on Mars and commonly combines with other elements to create sulfate minerals.

From Science Daily Mar. 10, 2026

Scientists found sulfate minerals concentrated in a small low area that likely formed when pools of sulfate-rich water gradually evaporated.

From Science Daily Mar. 10, 2026

It will reportedly be the first factory in Africa to refine lithium concentrate into lithium sulfate -- a powdered form that is one step closer to the product used in batteries.

From Barron's Feb. 26, 2026

The treatment is bed rest, which he desperately needs anyway, injections of zinc sulfate, and quinine tablets.

From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman

As the water disappeared, hydrated ferrous sulfates were left behind.

From Science Daily Mar. 10, 2026

The sulfates observed at Aram Chaos and Juventae, including ferric hydroxysulfate, probably formed more recently than the surrounding terrain.

From Science Daily Mar. 10, 2026

For nearly two decades, researchers have been puzzled by layered iron sulfates on Mars that show unusual spectral signals.

From Science Daily Mar. 10, 2026

Breached rootless cones identified in the current study show similar occurrences of polyhydrated sulfates, further suggesting the blistered volcanic blanket may be hiding a vast sheet of glacier ice underneath it.

From Science Daily Mar. 13, 2024

This was due to the fact that earlier studies took account only of the sulfur which, on analysis, appeared as sulfates in the ash.

From The Chemistry of Plant Life by Roscoe Wilfred Thatcher

And even if your diploma is written in Latin it is likely to be made of sulfated cellulose.

From Creative Chemistry Descriptive of Recent Achievements in the Chemical Industries by Edwin E. Slosson

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