What does aurate mean?
An aurate is a chemical compound in which gold appears as part of a negatively charged complex ion, most commonly with gold in its +3 oxidation state. The name follows a standard pattern in chemistry: when a metal forms an oxyanion or complex anion, the compound takes the suffix '-ate', just as chlorine yields chlorate or sulfur yields sulfate. Aurates are typically encountered in laboratory and industrial settings — for example, potassium aurate or sodium aurate arise when gold is dissolved under oxidising or alkaline conditions, a process relevant to gold refining and electroplating. Because gold is famously unreactive, the existence of soluble aurate compounds is chemically notable, demonstrating that even noble metals can be coaxed into solution under the right circumstances. The word derives from the Latin aurum, meaning gold, the same root that gives us auriferous ('gold-bearing') and aureate ('golden'). Outside scientific writing, aurate is essentially unknown, so it carries no figurative or everyday use.
nounA chemical compound in which gold occurs as a complex anion or cation, typically involving trivalent gold (gold(III)); any salt of auric acid.
- A salt or complex compound containing gold in its trivalent (+3) state, such as potassium tetrachloroaurate.
- More broadly, any anionic complex of gold in solution.
"The chemist prepared a potassium aurate solution to study the oxidation state of the metal."
"Potassium aurate crystals formed as the solution cooled overnight."
"In alkaline conditions, the gold dissolves to yield a stable aurate species."
Regular plural, used when referring to multiple distinct aurate compounds.
"Several aurates were screened for their catalytic activity."
Drop an 'e' from 'golden-sounding' and you get actual gold chemistry — an aurate is literally gold dissolved into a compound.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of aurate
Aurate comes from Latin aurum, meaning gold, combined with the chemical suffix '-ate' used to denote compounds containing a given element in a higher oxidation state. It was coined within the systematic nomenclature of modern chemistry, which drew heavily on Latin for element names. Its cognates include aureate, auriferous, and auric, all tracing back to the same Latin root.
How aurate is actually used
A technical term used almost exclusively in inorganic and analytical chemistry; it is rare outside scientific literature and would be unfamiliar to most general readers.
Easily confused with aurate
"Aureate" is an adjective meaning golden or elaborately ornate (especially of literary style), while "aurate" is a noun naming a chemical compound of gold.