dibasic salt
- noun
- /ˈdaɪˌbeɪsɪk sɔlt/
- Specialized
- When two hydrogens in sulfuric acid are replaced by metals, a dibasic salt is formed.
Examples
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Sodium carbonate is an example of a dibasic salt used in water softening.
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A dibasic salt can be formed by neutralizing a dibasic acid.
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Chemists often classify salts as monobasic, dibasic salt, or tribasic based on the number of replaced hydrogens.
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The solution contained various dibasic salts.
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Sodium carbonate, a common dibasic salt, is often used in household cleaning products.
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When calcium sulfate is formed from sulfuric acid, it is considered a dibasic salt due to the replacement of two hydrogen ions.
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In chemistry classes, students learn how a dibasic salt can result from the reaction of a dibasic acid with a base.
Surface Forms
Morphology
dibasic + salt
The phrase cues a compositional reading: the prefix di- (two) + basic (acid–base sense) with salt suggests a salt related to two reactive sites, so a learner who knows chemical senses could infer a ‘two‑site’ salt. However, the exact technical sense (replacement of two specific hydrogen atoms in a dibasic acid) requires domain knowledge and is not fully predictable from general vocabulary, making it only partially transparent to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Dibasic salt comes from di- meaning 'two' and basic showing there are two hydrogen atoms in an acid that can be replaced. So, a dibasic salt is a salt made when those two hydrogen atoms are replaced by metal atoms.