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chromate

chromate

1 9.9
A chemical salt of chromium and oxygen often used in industry and labs
  • noun
  • /ˈkroʊmeɪt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : cromato
  • Lead chromate is commonly used in the production of yellow pigments for paints.
  • lead chromate

Examples

  • Just for your information, my perfect yellow in a tube is Chromate of Lead and is called Lemon Yellow.

    Blog text (9)
  • Cement contains chromates that are well documented as sensitisers.

    Academic text (2014)
  • The only really toxic compounds I recall were sodium chromate and cobalt chloride, the latter as a 3-5% mixture with salt to make it safer.

    Blog text (14)
  • The artist preferred using pigments made from lead chromate for their vibrant color.

  • Safety precautions are essential when working with substances that contain chromate compounds.

Compounds

lead chromate
  • Specialized
9.3

A bright yellow poisonous chemical used to make paint

Surface Forms

chromate singular
chromates plural

Morphology

chromate = chromium (opaque) = chrom + ate

The suffix '-ate' here is a technical chemical ending meaning a salt/anion; knowing general words like 'chrome' or 'chromium' will not let a typical B1 learner infer the specific chemical meaning without chemistry knowledge.

Etymology

Chromate comes from the Greek root chrom-, from chroma meaning 'color', and it shares this root with familiar words like chrome and monochrome. Many chromate salts are bright yellow or orange, so the name shows their strong 'color' and explains why we call these colored chromium salts 'chromates'.