carbonate

—carbonator, n.

n. /kahr"beuh nayt', -nit/; v. /kahr"beuh nayt'/, n., v., carbonated, carbonating.

n.

1. a salt or ester of carbonic acid.

v.t.

2. to form into a carbonate.

3. to charge or impregnate with carbon dioxide: carbonated drinks.

4. to make sprightly; enliven.

[1785-95; CARBON(IC ACID) + -ATE², later taken as -ATE¹]

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Any member of two classes of chemical compounds

one inorganic and the other organic

that are derived from carbon dioxide (CO₂) or its water solution, carbonic acid (H₂CO₃).

Inorganic carbonates (MCO₃ or M₂CO₃, where M is a metal atom of, e.g., calcium or sodium) are salts of carbonic acid. The shells and other hard parts of shellfish are calcium carbonate, as is the limestone they turn into. Many other minerals, including calcite, dolomite, and aragonite, consist of or contain carbonates. Sodium carbonate is one of the world's most important basic chemical commodities. Organic carbonates are esters of carbonic acid and various alcohol groups (methyl, ethyl, or phenyl). These are liquids used as solvents and to synthesize plastics and other compounds.

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▪ chemical compound

      any member of two classes of chemical compounds derived from carbonic acid or carbon dioxide (q.v.). The inorganic carbonates are salts of carbonic acid (H₂CO₃), containing the carbonate ion, CO²/₃^-, and ions of metals such as sodium or calcium. Inorganic carbonates comprise many minerals (see carbonate mineral) and are the principal constituents of limestones and dolomites; they also comprise the hard parts of many marine invertebrates. Organic carbonates are esters; that is, compounds in which the hydrogen atoms of carbonic acid have been replaced by carbon-containing combining groups such as ethyl, C₂H₅.

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