carbonate

Definition

Any salt or ester of carbonic acid.

Etymology

From French carbonate, equivalent of carbon + -ate (“suffix used for salts of acids ending in -ic”).

Example Sentences

• "A sample of carbon removed from the ocean in the solid form of calcium carbonate and magnesium hydroxide from UCLA's SeaChange program -- now known as Equatic -- in 2023."
• "McCoy’s team, including 66 researchers across four continents, found the salt and minerals left behind as water on Bennu, or its larger parent asteroid, evaporated. The minerals include sodium phosphates, carbonates, sulfates, chlorides and fluorides, some of which are necessary to the formation of life."