Monofluoridates

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To apply or combine with a compound containing a single atom of fluorine, often in a chemical reaction or treatment process
2. The process of introducing or reacting with a monofluoride group in a molecule or substance, typically in chemical synthesis or modification
3. To treat or form a substance by bonding with a fluorine atom singularly, usually for altering chemical properties or creating a fluorinated compound

Etymology: "Monofluoridates" is the third-person singular form of "monofluoridate", a verb built from "monofluoride" plus the chemistry suffix "-ate". "Monofluoride" combines "mono-", from Greek "monos" meaning "single" or "one", with "fluoride", the salt or ion of fluorine. The sense here is one fluorine atom attached to a molecule, as opposed to difluorination or trifluorination, which add two or three. The "-ate" ending is the standard chemical convention for forming verbs from nouns that name a substance or group, so "fluoridate" (to add fluoride) led the way, and "monofluoridate" narrows it to a single fluorine. The "-es" simply marks the third-person singular present tense, as in "he monofluoridates the compound."

Synonyms: fluorinates