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Glite Dictionary
xanthic acid

xanthic acid

9.9
An unstable acid that contains sulfur and is used in organic chemistry
  • noun
  • /ˈzænθɪk ˈæsɪd/
  • Specialized
: ácido xántico
  • The chemist synthesized xanthic acid in the laboratory.

Examples

  • Several xanthic acids are known for their unique properties.

  • The laboratory was equipped to handle unstable substances like xanthic acid.

  • Certain reactions involve xanthic acid as an intermediate compound.

  • Researchers studied the properties of xanthic acid to understand its chemical behavior.

  • Researchers studied the properties of xanthic acid to understand its chemical behavior.

  • Certain reactions involve xanthic acid as an intermediate compound.

  • The laboratory was equipped to handle unstable substances like xanthic acid.

Surface Forms

xanthic acid singular
xanthic acids plural

Morphology

xanthic + acid

This is a highly technical chemical term: although a learner would know 'acid', the modifier 'xanthic' is obscure (not a common adjective) and encodes a specific class of sulfur-containing unstable organic acids that is not inferable from the surface form. The Greek-derived element 'xanth-' (if used) is not transparent to a B1 learner, so the full specialised meaning cannot be derived from the constituents.

Etymology

Xanthic acid comes from the Greek root xanth- meaning 'yellow'. Chemists named these sulfur acids after the yellow colour of related compounds, so the name helps you remember that xanthic acid refers to a sulfur-containing, often unstable acid.