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Chemistry vocabulary · Reactions and Equations

Precipitate

Meaning in chemistry, with examples

nounCommon term

In chemistry, precipitate means: An insoluble solid that forms when two solutions are mixed and separates out of the liquid. As a verb, the word means to form such a solid.

In Turkish: çökelek, çökelti

How it is used

Common in inorganic and analytical work. A precipitate forms, settles, is filtered off and washed; as a verb, a salt 'precipitates' or 'precipitates out'. Precipitates are often described by color: a white precipitate of silver chloride.

Example sentences

  1. A white precipitate formed as soon as we added silver nitrate.

  2. Filter off the precipitate and wash it with cold water.

Common collocations

  • white precipitate
  • form a precipitate
  • filter off the precipitate
  • precipitate out
  • solubilityThe maximum amount of a substance that can dissolve in a given amount of solvent at a certain temperature, often given in grams per 100 g of water.
  • filtrationA method of separating a solid from a liquid by passing the mixture through filter paper or another porous material that lets only the liquid through.
  • ionAn atom or group of atoms that carries an electric charge because it has gained or lost electrons. Positive ones are cations and negative ones are anions.
  • saltAn ionic compound made of positive and negative ions, usually formed when an acid reacts with a base. Sodium chloride is the best known, but there are thousands of others.

More terms: Reactions and Equations

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