tetrabasic acid

9.3

An acid with four hydrogen atoms that can be replaced to form salts

noun
/ˌtɛtrəˈbeɪsɪk ˈæsɪd/

Specialized

: ácido tetrabásico

A tetrabasic acid can donate four protons.

Examples

Because it contains four replaceable hydrogen atoms, a tetrabasic acid can participate in multiple neutralization reactions.
The chemist explained how a tetrabasic acid can form several types of salts.
Phosphoric acid can act as a tetrabasic acid under certain conditions.
Many tetrabasic acids are used in organic chemistry.
In chemistry class, we learned that a tetrabasic acid has four hydrogen atoms that can be replaced to create different salts.
The laboratory experiment demonstrated how a tetrabasic acid can react to form a variety of neutral salts.
Her research focused on the properties of a tetrabasic acid, which allows it to participate in several chemical reactions.

Synonyms

hypophosphoric acid

vstetrabasic acid

Specialized

9.6

A solid acid with two phosphorus atoms that scientists use in labs to reduce other chemicals

is the general class defined by four replaceable hydrogen atoms per molecule

Surface Forms

tetrabasic acid singular

tetrabasic acids plural

Morphology

tetrabasic + acid

The phrase is compositionally adjective + noun and 'tetrabasic' can be parsed as tetra- ('four') + basic, so a learner might infer it relates to 'four' in some chemical sense. However, the precise meaning — an acid able to donate four protons / form four series of salts — requires specific chemistry knowledge and affix parsing beyond B1 learners, so the relation is only partially predictable.

Etymology

Tetrabasic acid comes from tetra- meaning 'four' and basic referring to the number of hydrogen spots that can be replaced. Think of a tiny molecule with four little hydrogen flags that can be taken away to make salts, so the term means an acid with 'replaceable hydrogen atoms' that can form several salts.