What does dithionate mean?
Dithionate is a technical noun from inorganic chemistry referring to any salt or ester of dithionic acid, a diprotic acid with the formula H₂S₂O₆. The characteristic dithionate ion carries two negative charges and consists of two sulfur atoms bonded together, each surrounded by three oxygen atoms. Salts such as sodium dithionate and potassium dithionate are stable, generally water-soluble compounds that figure in studies of sulfur oxyanions and redox chemistry. The word belongs almost entirely to scientific writing — laboratory reports, textbooks, and research papers — rather than everyday language, and it is typically encountered by students of chemistry rather than the general reader. Careful spelling matters, since dithionate differs by only a few letters from dithionite, the name of a distinct and chemically quite different sulfur oxyanion. Its etymology combines Greek roots for 'two' and 'sulfur' with the '-ate' ending standard for oxygen-rich anions.
nounA salt or ester of dithionic acid, containing the divalent anion S₂O₆²⁻.
- A salt of dithionic acid containing the anion S₂O₆²⁻.
- An ester of dithionic acid.
"The chemist prepared a solution of sodium dithionate for the redox titration."
"Barium dithionate is notably soluble in water, unlike many other barium salts."
"The oxidation of sulfite can yield the dithionate ion under controlled conditions."
The plural refers to multiple individual salts or to the class of dithionate compounds collectively.
"The dithionates are among the most stable of the sulfur oxyanion salts."
One letter separates dithionate (S₂O₆²⁻) from dithionite (S₂O₄²⁻) — a distinction that has tripped up chemistry students for generations.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of dithionate
Dithionate derives from dithionic acid, a name formed from the Greek prefix di- ('two') combined with 'thion', from Greek 'theion' meaning sulfur, plus the '-ate' suffix used in English chemical nomenclature for salts of acids containing more oxygen than '-ite' forms. The terminology arose within nineteenth-century European chemistry as systematic names for sulfur oxyacids and their salts were established. It shares this Greek sulfur root with related chemical terms such as dithionite and thiosulfate.
Related word forms
How dithionate is actually used
Strictly a technical term used in inorganic chemistry and related fields; it does not appear in general conversation or literary prose.
Easily confused with dithionate
A dithionate contains the anion S₂O₆²⁻ (from dithionic acid), whereas a dithionite contains the different anion S₂O₄²⁻ (from dithionous acid) and is a common industrial reducing agent.