cyanate

American  

[sahy-uh-neyt, -nit] / ˈsaɪ əˌneɪt, -nɪt /

noun

Chemistry.

1. a salt or ester of cyanic acid.

---

cyanate British  

/ ˈsaɪəˌneɪt /

noun

1. any salt or ester of cyanic acid, containing the ion ^– OCN or the group –OCN

---

cyanate Scientific  

/ sī′ə-nāt′,-nət /

1. A salt or ester of cyanic acid, containing the group OCN.

---

Etymology

Origin of cyanate

First recorded in 1835–45; cyan(ic acid) + -ate ²

Example Sentences

So when Friedrich Wöhler turned ammonium cyanate, which is an inorganic salt, into urea, which is a natural compound produced by the kidneys, he basically set the stage for the question of what is life and where is the boundary between an inorganic molecule and something that is alive.

From Forbes

Substituted ammonias were also made to combine with cyanic acid, and it was found that the substituted ammonium cyanates produced pass much more readily into the corresponding ureas than ammonium cyanate itself.

From Project Gutenberg

Caustic alkalis hydrolyse it readily to the alkaline chloride and cyanate.

From Project Gutenberg

Potash solution converts it into a mixture of potassium cyanide and cyanate.

From Project Gutenberg

That idea has led to the experimental development elsewhere of machines, somewhat like artificial kidney units, which allow the cyanate to react with the blood outside the body.

From Time Magazine Archive