Nitrate (Verb)
Meaning
Treat with nitric acid, so as to change an organic compound into a nitrate; "nitroglycerin is obtained by nitrating glycerol".
Classification
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc..
Examples
- The process involves nitrating a mixture of organic compounds to form highly explosive substances.
- Glycerol is nitrated with a combination of sulfuric and nitric acid to produce nitroglycerin.
- Nitrating toluene yields a highly reactive and potentially explosive compound called trinitrotoluene.
- Chemists nitrated cellulose to develop early versions of smokeless gunpowder and plastic explosives.
- The nitration of cellulose can be hazardous and requires careful handling and precise control.