Definition

To add one or more protons to a molecule, ion, or radical, which changes its chemical properties.

Example

In the reaction, the chemist decided to protonate the compound to enhance its reactivity.

Tense Forms

Conversation

I was reading about how to protonate certain molecules in chemistry class.

Oh really? That sounds interesting!

Yeah, they said it can change their properties significantly when you protonate them.

I can see how that would be important in reactions.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Protonate → It is formed from "proton" (from Greek "protos", meaning first) and "-ate" (a suffix used in chemistry to indicate a process). The word "protonate" refers to the process of adding a proton to a molecule or ion.

Memory Tip

Think of 'proton' as the 'first' particle in an atom, and '-ate' indicating a process. So, protonate means to add a proton to something.

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