perchlorate
noun
per·chlo·rate
| \ (ˌ)pər-ˈklȯr-ˌāt
, -ət\
, -ət\
Definition of perchlorate
: a salt or ester of perchloric acid
Examples of perchlorate in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Martian soil is rich in perchlorate and other compounds that make growing food difficult. — David Kelly, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Life on Mars gets a test run in the Utah desert," 23 June 2019 These little guys actually move toward concentrations of perchlorate. — Joe Pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, "What Would Life on Mars Be Like?," 25 July 2018 Colonies of bacteria could produce oxygen from perchlorate, the very same chemical that keeps the water from freezing. — Joe Pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, "What Would Life on Mars Be Like?," 25 July 2018 Rovers on Mars have detected a type of salt known as perchlorates in the dirt, which can be toxic for humans if consumed in high enough quantities. — Loren Grush, The Verge, "How NASA is learning to grow plants in space and on other worlds," 21 Sep. 2018 And again, the liquid involved would be far saltier than Earth's oceans (and the salts are likely perchlorates, which aren't as common on Earth). — John Timmer, Ars Technica, "Possible lake spotted under a polar ice cap—on Mars," 25 July 2018 The Mars water would be full of perchlorate salt, which chemically toxic to most Earth lifeforms. — Joe Pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, "What Would Life on Mars Be Like?," 25 July 2018 Combined with high-energy ultraviolet light and cosmic rays streaming in from space, perchlorates would destroy any organic material on the surface, leaving little to be seen by carbon-seeking landers and rovers. — Adam Mann, Scientific American, "Curiosity Rover Uncovers Long-Sought Organic Materials on Martian Surface," 7 June 2018 Sulfur may have helped protect the organics even when the rocks were exposed at the surface to radiation and bleach-like substances called perchlorates. — National Geographic, "Building Blocks of Life Found on Mars," 7 June 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'perchlorate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for perchlorate
perchlorate
noun
per·chlo·rate
| \ (ˈ)pər-ˈklō(ə)r-ˌāt, -ˈklȯ(ə)r-, -ət
\
\
Medical Definition of perchlorate
: a salt or ester of perchloric acid