Iodate

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A compound that arises from the interaction of iodine with a base, often characterized by its uses in chemical analysis and research applications
2. A chemical substance produced when iodic acid reacts with a base, frequently utilized in laboratory and analytical settings
3. A chemical entity formed through the combination of iodine and a base, typically employed in scientific experiments and analytical procedures

Etymology: Iodate is a chemistry coinage built from two older pieces: "iodine" and the suffix "-ate." Iodine was named in 1813 by Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac, who took the name from the Greek "ioeidēs," meaning violet-coloured, because the element's vapour turns a striking violet. Iodic acid followed, and iodate names the salts formed from it. The suffix is the more old-fashioned part of the story. "-ate" comes from Latin "-atus," a participial ending that chemists adopted in the 1700s and 1800s to mark salts of an acid: sulphuric acid gave sulphates, nitric acid gave nitrates, and so on. Iodate therefore follows a pattern set by earlier chemical naming rather than describing anything about iodine itself.