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Definition: nitrate from Philip's Encyclopedia

Salt of nitric acid. Nitrate salts contain the nitrate ion (NO3) and some are important, naturally occurring compounds such as saltpetre (potassium nitrate, KNO3) and Chile saltpetre (sodium nitrate, NaNO3). Nitrates are used as food preservers, fertilizers, explosives, and as a source of nitric acid. They can be an environmental hazard.

nitrate

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
chemical compound containing the nitrate (NO 3 ) radical . Nitrates are salts or esters of nitric acid , HNO 3 , 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 (KNO 3 ), sodium nitrate (NaNO 3 ), silver nitrate (AgNO 3 ), and ammonium nitrate (NH 4 NO 3 ). 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…
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Full text Article nitrate

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
chemical compound containing the nitrate (NO 3 ) radical . Nitrates are salts or esters of nitric acid , HNO 3 , 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 (KNO 3 ), sodium…
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Full text Article nitrate ion (nitrate(v) ion)

From The Penguin Dictionary of Science
The oxoanion of formula NO 3 - . As nitrogen has oxidation number +5, its alternative but less common name is nitrate(v). The anion does not produce any visible absorption, so only the cation can impart colour to nitrates, as in the blue solid copper(II) nitrate Cu(NO 3 ) 2 . All common nitrates are…
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Full text Article nitrate reduction test (nitrate test)

From Dictionary of Microbiology & Molecular Biology
A test used to indicate whether or not a given bacterial strain can reduce nitrate; the medium and test conditions used depend on the particular organism being examined. For many bacteria (including enterobacteria and pseudomonads, but excluding e.g. Mycobacterium spp) the organism is cultured for…
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Full text Article nitrate respiration

From Dictionary of Microbiology & Molecular Biology
ANAEROBIC RESPIRATION in which, typically, nitrate (as terminal electron acceptor) is reduced to nitrite in a reaction catalysed by an enzyme ( dissimilatory nitrate reductase ) located at the end of an ELECTRON TRANSPORT CHAIN ; this reaction, which is equivalent to the first stage of…
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Full text Article nitrate pollution

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
Contamination of water by nitrates. Increased use of artificial fertilizers and land cultivation means that higher levels of nitrates are being washed from the soil into rivers, lakes, and aquifers. There they cause an excessive enrichment of the water ( eutrophication ), leading to a rapid growth…
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Full text Article Nitrates

From Black's Medical Dictionary, 43rd Edition
Chemical compounds that have a valuable role in the treatment of ANGINA PECTORIS . They are very effective in dilating the ARTERIES supplying the HEART ; their prime benefit, however, is to reduce the return of venous blood to the heart, thus reducing the demands on the left ventricle, which pumps…
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Full text Article Nitrate Vulnerable Zones

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
Introduction On 19 December 1998, a new plan for controlling the amount of nitrate getting into rivers from agricultural land was implemented in the UK. It involved the designation of 68 areas in England and Wales as Nitrate Vulnerable Zones, or NVZs. The problem with nitrates Nitrate ions, NO 3 − , …
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Full text Article assimilatory nitrate reduction

From Dictionary of Microbiology & Molecular Biology
The (typically aerobic) reduction of nitrate to ammonia, the ammonia being assimilated as a source of nitrogen (see AMMONIA ASSIMILATION ); nitrate can be used as the sole source of nitrogen by many bacteria, various fungi, and most algae and plants. Nitrate is initially reduced to nitrite—typically…
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Full text Article sodium nitrate; sodium nitrite

From The Deluxe Food Lover's Companion
Sodium nitrate is a chemical compound, sometimes referred to as SALTPETER (which is usually really potassium nitrate). It appears naturally in leafy green vegetables and, like potassium nitrate, is used to cure and retain color in meat products. Sodium nitrite is a similar compound used in much the…
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Full text Article nitrate decay; nitrate degradation

From A/V A to Z: An Encyclopedic Dictionary of Media, Entertainment and Other Audiovisual Terms
The chemical decay process that attacks improperly stored nitrate base film, causing it to physically decompose and become highly flammable. Nitrate-base film was in common use through the early 1950s when it was replaced with acetate base film. Many older movies, particularly those of the early…
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