nitrification
NounOpen English WordNet
Noun (2)
- the chemical process in which a nitro group is added to an organic compound (or substituted for another group in an organic compound)Type of chemical process, chemical change
- the oxidation of ammonium compounds in dead organic material into nitrates and nitrites by soil bacteria (making nitrogen available to plants)Type of oxidation, oxidization
What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz
Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Origin: Cf. F. nitrification. see Nitrify.
1. Chemistry (a) The act, process, or result of combining with nitrogen or some of its compounds. (b) The act or process of oxidizing nitrogen or its compounds so as to form nitrous or nitric acid.
2. A process of oxidation, in which nitrogenous vegetable and animal matter in the presence of air, moisture, and some basic substances, as lime or alkali carbonate, is converted into nitrates.
☞ The process is going on at all times in porous soils and in water contaminated with nitrogenous matter, and is supposed to be due to the presence of a bacteria, such as members of the genus Azotobacter, formerly called nitrification ferments. In former times the process was extensively made use of in the production of saltpeter.
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54 · with additions: +PJC