Sulphurate

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To treat or combine with sulfate ions or compounds containing sulfur in oxidation state +6 ; to introduce sulfuric acid or salts thereof into a substance or mixture ; to convert into or impregnate with sulfates or sulfur compounds
2. To chemically unite with sulfuric acid derivatives or sulfate salts ; to cause a substance to absorb or react with sulfate groups ; to produce a sulfate form of a compound or material by reaction with sulfur species
3. To expose or modify a material by addition of sulfate ions or sulfuric acid components ; to convert chemical substances into sulfates ; to saturate or impregnate with compounds derived from sulfur and oxygen in high oxidation state

Etymology: Sulphurate is a plain formation: the noun "sulphur" with the verb-forming suffix "-ate," which English took from Latin "-atus" and its verb form "-are." The suffix sits on the stem to mean "to treat with" or "to combine with" the thing named, so to sulphurate something is to treat it with sulphur or a sulphur compound. The same suffix also produces adjectives, and the source records "sulphurate" in that role as well, so the form can be read either way depending on context. Its meaning rests entirely on the sense of "sulphur" it attaches to, which is why chemists could coin verbs like this one wherever a new reagent needed a name.

Synonyms: sulfurize, sulfurate, sulphidize

Antonyms: desulfurize, remove sulfur