nitrate, chemical compound containing the nitrate (NO₃) radical radical, in chemistry, group of atoms that are joined together in some particular spatial structure and that take part in most chemical reactions as a single unit.
..... Click the link for more information. . Nitrates are salts or esters of nitric acid nitric acid, chemical compound, HNO₃, colorless, highly corrosive, poisonous liquid that gives off choking red or yellow fumes in moist air. It is miscible with water in all proportions.
..... Click the link for more information. , HNO₃, formed by replacing the hydrogen with a metal (e.g., sodium or potassium) or a radical (e.g., ammonium or ethyl). Some important inorganic nitrates are potassium nitrate potassium nitrate, chemical compound, KNO₃, occurring as colorless, prismatic crystals or as a white powder; it is found pure in nature as the mineral saltpeter, or niter. (The name saltpeter is also applied to sodium nitrate , although less frequently.
..... Click the link for more information. (KNO₃), sodium nitrate sodium nitrate, chemical compound, NaNO₃, a colorless, odorless crystalline compound that closely resembles potassium nitrate (saltpeter or niter) in appearance and chemical properties. It is soluble in water, alcohol, and liquid ammonia.
..... Click the link for more information. (NaNO₃), silver nitrate silver nitrate (nī`trāt), chemical compound, AgNO₃, a colorless crystalline material that is very soluble in water.
..... Click the link for more information. (AgNO₃), and ammonium nitrate ammonium nitrate, chemical compound, NH₄NO₃, that exists as colorless, rhombohedral crystals at room temperature but changes to monoclinic crystals when heated above 32°C;.
..... Click the link for more information. (NH₄NO₃). Calcium nitrate is used in fertilizers; barium and strontium nitrates are used to color fireworks and signal flares; bismuth nitrate is used in making pharmaceuticals. Saltpeter (potassium nitrate), a diuretic, was once believed to be an anaphrodesiac. Nearly all metal nitrates are readily soluble in water; for this reason they are often used when a water soluble salt of a metal is needed. The presence of nitrates in the soil is of great importance, since it is from these compounds that plants obtain the nitrogen necessary for their growth. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria are important in keeping the soil supplied with nitrates. Because of the widespread use of artificial fertilizers containing nitrates, nitrates have contaminated both ground and surface waters in some agricultural areas. Organic nitrates are esters formed by reaction of nitric acid with the hydroxyl (−OH) group in an alcohol. Nitroglycerin nitroglycerin (nī'trōglĭs`ərĭn), C₃H₅N₃O₉
..... Click the link for more information. is the trinitrate of glycerol; guncotton is a nitrate of cellulose cellulose, chief constituent of the cell walls of plants. Chemically, it is a carbohydrate that is a high molecular weight polysaccharide. Raw cotton is composed of 91% pure cellulose; other important natural sources are flax, hemp, jute, straw, and wood.
..... Click the link for more information. . In chemical analysis, a test for nitrates involves the addition of a solution of ferrous sulfate to the substance to be tested, followed by the addition (without mixing) of a few drops of concentrated sulfuric acid; the presence of a nitrate is indicated by the formation of a brown ring—of Fe(NO)⁺² complex ion—where the sulfuric acid contacts the test mixture.

nitrate

Any salt or ester of nitric acid (HNO₃). The salts are inorganic compounds with ionic bonds, containing the nitrate ion (NO₃⁻) and any cation. Many, particularly ammonium nitrate, are used as agricultural fertilizers (see saltpeter). Their runoff in surface water and groundwater can cause serious illness in humans. The esters are organic compounds with covalent bonds, having the structure R−O−NO₂, in which R represents an organic combining group such as methyl, ethyl, or phenyl.

nitrate

any salt or ester of nitric acid, such as sodium nitrate, NaNO₃

nitrate [′nī‚trāt]

(chemistry)

A salt or ester of nitric acid.

Any compound containing the ion NO₃^-.

nitrate (redirected from nitrate reduction test)

nitrate

nitrate
(redirected from nitrate reduction test)