A salt or ester of nitric acid, commonly used in fertilizers, explosives, and food preservation.
From French 'nitrate,' from 'nitre' (saltpeter) plus suffix '-ate.' 'Nitre' comes from Greek 'nitron' meaning native sodium carbonate, though the chemical understanding evolved significantly with modern chemistry.
Nitrates showcase chemistry's dual nature - they're essential for plant growth and thus crucial for feeding the world, yet they're also key components in explosives. This chemical versatility made nitrates geopolitically significant; control of nitrate sources was once as important as oil reserves.
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