Sulfurates

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To combine or treat a substance with sulfur or sulfur compounds, often to produce sulfates or alter chemical properties ; to process materials by exposing them to sulfur or sulfur-based reagents for chemical transformation or preservation ; to cause a chemical reaction involving sulfur compounds, generally resulting in the formation of sulfates or sulfide derivatives
2. To subject another substance to the action of sulfur-containing agents, typically producing sulfate salts or modifying chemical characteristics ; to impart sulfur elements chemically through treatment with sulfur compounds, altering the original material's composition ; to initiate or undergo chemical change through contact with sulfur-based substances, especially to form sulfated compounds or derivatives
3. To chemically treat with or add sulfur or sulfur compounds, often leading to sulfate formation or other sulfur-based modifications ; to expose or combine materials with sulfur in chemical processes that induce sulfuration or sulfate creation ; to cause or experience a sulfur-involved chemical reaction, resulting in the generation of sulfate salts or related sulfur species

Etymology: This is an inflected form, so it gets a brief note. "Sulfurates" is the third-person singular present of "sulfurate," a verb built from the noun "sulfur" plus the suffix "-ate," which in chemistry marks a salt or compound formed from an acid. The verb therefore describes treating or combining a substance with sulfur so that its chemistry changes. The root itself is old: "sulfur" descends from Latin "sulfur" (also spelled "sulphur"), which reached English through Anglo-Norman "sulfre" and Middle English "sulphur."

Synonyms: sulphurates, sulfurizes, oxidizes