Sulfidised

Part of speech: verb, adjective

Definitions

1. Treated or combined with sulfur to form a compound containing sulfur atoms; chemically altered by the addition of sulfur; describing a substance in which sulfur has been introduced or bonded
2. Modified through exposure to sulfur resulting in the formation of sulfur-containing compounds; transformed by chemical reaction involving sulfur; characterizing a material that has undergone sulfide formation
3. Having undergone a chemical process where sulfur atoms are incorporated; subjected to sulfur-based reaction producing sulfide compounds; indicating the condition of having sulfur chemically added or integrated

Etymology: Sulfidised is the British spelling of "sulfidized," a past participle and adjective built from "sulfide," the chemical term for a compound of sulfur with another element. The chain of formation is transparent: "sulfur" (from Latin "sulphur," itself of uncertain origin, possibly from a pre-Indo-European Mediterranean substrate) gave the "sulfide" coinage in the early nineteenth century, and the verb "sulfidize" followed from it, with the suffix "-ise" or "-ize" marking the action of making something contain sulfide. The -ed ending turns that verb into a participle and adjective, so the word describes a surface, ore, or metal that has been converted or treated with sulfur or sulfide compounds. The technical use is most common in metallurgy and mineral processing. Sulfidation of metal surfaces is a deliberate step in some industrial processes, and in mining, sulfidised ores are those in which metals such as copper or zinc occur as sulfide minerals, which affects how they are separated and refined. The word is therefore a precise working term rather than an everyday one.

Synonyms: sulfurized, sulfidized, sulphurized, sulfured, sulfurated

Antonyms: desulfidised, desulfurized, oxidized, cleaned, purified