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Glite Dictionary
polybasic

polybasic

9.4
An acid that can give away more than one hydrogen atom
  • adjective
  • /ˌpɒliˈbeɪsɪk/
  • Specialized
translation icon : polibásico
  • Sulfuric acid is a polybasic acid.

Examples

  • In chemistry, a polybasic acid can donate more than one proton to a solution, which makes it unique.

  • A polybasic compound can donate multiple protons.

  • Sulfuric acid is a polybasic acid because it can donate two protons.

  • Phosphoric acid is considered polybasic since it has three replaceable hydrogen atoms.

  • In chemistry class, we learned how to identify polybasic acids by their molecular structure.

  • When studying polybasic compounds, scientists focus on their ability to form multiple bonds with hydroxide ions.

  • A polybasic base can neutralize more than one acid molecule during a chemical reaction.

How Basic

polybasic
  • Specialized
9.4
tribasic acid
  • Specialized
8.3
dibasic acid
  • Specialized
7.2

Surface Forms

polybasic positive

Morphology

polybasic = basic (semi-transparent) = poly + basic

The structure is clear as poly- plus basic, but the chemistry-specific meaning is not fully predictable from the everyday sense of basic.

Etymology

Polybasic is built from poly- meaning 'many' (the same poly- you see in polygon or polyglot) and basic meaning 'base' in chemistry. So a polybasic acid is one that has 'many' replaceable hydrogen atoms, which is why sulfuric acid and phosphoric acid are called polybasic.