from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
noun An acid phosphate.
noun A mixture of gypsum and monobasic calcium phosphate resulting from the action of sulfuric acid on phosphate rock, used as a fertilizer.
from The Century Dictionary.
noun A trade-name of superphosphate of lime.
noun A phosphate containing the greatest amount of phosphoric acid that can combine with the base.
noun A trade-name for various phosphates, such as bone, bone-black, and phosphorite, which have been treated with sulphuric acid to increase their solubility, and so render them more available in agriculture as fertilizers.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
noun (Chem.) An acid phosphate.
noun (Com. Chem.) a fertilizer obtained by trating bone dust, bone black, or phosphorite with sulphuric acid, whereby the insoluble neutral calcium phosphate, Ca3(PO4)2, is changed to the primary or acid calcium phosphate Ca(H2PO4)2, which is soluble and therefore available for the soil.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
noun A fertilizer produced by the action of concentratedsulfuric acid on powderedphosphaterock.
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
super- + phosphate
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Examples
_ The term superphosphate is applied to the phosphates that have been treated with sulphuric acid to make the phosphoric acid available.
When this phosphate is acted upon with sulphuric acid, a soluble phosphate is formed, as Liebig first showed, to which the name superphosphate has been given, and which is also known as monobasic phosphate of lime, or monocalcic phosphate.
_ -- Under this name a kind of superphosphate, which is understood to be made by dissolving a native "rock guano," has recently attracted considerable attention, and is used to a large extent.
The deliberate adulteration of superphosphate, that is, the addition to it of sand or similar worthless materials, I believe to be but little practised.
But the other is what is called superphosphate of lime, which will dissolve in water; so that the roots of the plants can suck it up: and that is one of the richest of manures.
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