nitrification

American  

[nahy-truh-fi-key-shuhn] / ˌnaɪ trə fɪˈkeɪ ʃən /

noun

Chemistry, Biology.

1. the process of oxidation in the nitrogen cycle that converts ammonia or ammonium compounds to nitrites and then to nitrates, especially this process as facilitated by bacteria and other microbes in soil to provide the nitrogen vital to plant health and growth.

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nitrification British  

/ ˌnaɪtrɪfɪˈkeɪʃən /

noun

1. the oxidation of the ammonium compounds in dead organic material into nitrites and nitrates by soil nitrobacteria, making nitrogen available to plants See also nitrogen cycle

2. 1. the addition of a nitro group to an organic compound

   2. the substitution of a nitro group for another group in an organic compound

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nitrification Scientific  

/ nī′trə-fĭ-kā′shən /

1. The process by which bacteria in soil and water oxidize ammonia and ammonium ions and form nitrites and nitrates. Because the nitrates can be absorbed by more complex organisms, as by the roots of green plants, nitrification is an important step in the nitrogen cycle.

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Etymology

Origin of nitrification

First recorded in 1820–30; nitr- + -i- + -fication

Example Sentences

When his team sampled stream water, they could tell that up to half of the nitrous oxide came from the process of nitrification in agricultural soils.

From Science Daily • Dec. 3, 2024

These farmers invested more than $17 million to try cover crops, no-till, strip-till or a nitrification inhibitor on their land.

From Washington Times • Sep. 24, 2018

For example, the herbicide 2,4-D causes a temporary interruption of nitrification.

From The New Yorker • Jan. 3, 2017

After years of hunting, they identified a nitrification inhibitor secreted by the grass’s roots.

From Nature • Sep. 18, 2013

For the microbes include not only disease organisms but those that destroy waste matter, make soils fertile, and enter into countless biological processes like fermentation and nitrification.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson