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Glite Dictionary
phosphorous acid

phosphorous acid

8.0
A clear or yellow acid that chemists use to make other chemicals and to remove oxygen from them
  • noun
  • /ˈfɑs.fər.əs ˈæs.ɪd/
  • Specialized
translation icon : ácido fosforoso
  • Phosphorous acid is commonly used as a reducing agent in chemical reactions.

Examples

  • Handling phosphorous acid requires caution due to its potential to cause burns.

  • The formula for phosphorous acid is H3PO2.

  • The preparation of phosphorous acid involves the hydrolysis of phosphorus trichloride.

  • The chemist used phosphorous acid in the experiment.

  • Phosphorous acid is frequently utilized in laboratories as a reducing agent for various chemical syntheses.

  • In agriculture, phosphorous acid is added to fertilizers to enhance nutrient availability.

  • Researchers discovered that phosphorous acid could effectively reduce certain metal ions in solution.

Synonyms

orthophosphorous acid
vsphosphorous acid
  • Specialized
8.4

A clear or yellow acid used to make chemicals and to reduce other substances

is identical in meaning but represents an alternative scientific name
hypophosphorous acid
vsphosphorous acid
  • Specialized
9.9

A clear or yellow acid used to reduce other chemicals in labs and industry

is used generally in chemical synthesis rather than mainly in analysis and industry

Surface Forms

phosphorous acid singular
phosphorous acids plural

Morphology

phosphorous + acid

The noun phrase is a straightforward composition of the adjective 'phosphorous' (pertaining to phosphorus) and the noun 'acid', so a learner who knows both constituents can infer it means an acid that contains or is related to phosphorus. While the precise chemical properties (monobasic H3PO2, reducing agent) are technical and require chemistry knowledge, the core referent is transparently derived from the parts.

Etymology

Phosphorous acid gets its name from the element phosphorus and from the adjective phosphorous: the ending '-ous' showed an acid with less oxygen than the related 'phosphoric acid'. So, phosphorous acid is the phosphorus acid that has less oxygen than 'phosphoric acid'.