Decahydrate

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Definitions

1. A chemical compound containing ten molecules of water chemically bound to each formula unit, often forming a crystalline structure with water incorporated in its solid state
2. A substance in which ten water molecules are integrated into each unit of a compound's molecular formula, typically found in hydrated salts exhibiting distinctive physical properties
3. A hydrous chemical entity characterized by the inclusion of ten water molecules per formula unit, influencing its stability and crystalline arrangement in material science contexts

Etymology: The word is a chemistry term built from two Greek roots. "Deca-" comes from Greek "deka", meaning ten, and reached English through French; "hydrate" is itself a compound of "hydro-", from Greek "hudōr" meaning water, and the Latin-derived ending "-ate", which chemists use for compounds formed with a particular substance. Put together, "decahydrate" describes a compound whose molecules each carry ten molecules of water. The notable thing is how literally the name works. In a hydrate, water is locked into the crystal structure of a salt, and the prefix counts exactly how many water molecules are attached to each unit of the salt. Washing soda, for example, is a decahydrate of sodium carbonate, so its crystals hold ten water molecules for every one of the salt. The name is therefore a precise recipe rather than a loose description.

Synonyms: hydrated compound, hydrate, ten-water compound, water of crystallization

Antonyms: anhydrous