perchlorate

noun per·chlo·rate \ (ˌ)pər-ˈklȯr-ˌāt , -ət \

|Updated on: 26 Jun 2018

Definition of perchlorate

: a salt or ester of perchloric acid

Recent Examples of perchlorate from the Web

Combined with high-energy ultraviolet light and cosmic rays streaming in from space, perchlorates would destroy any organic material on the surface, leaving little to be seen by carbon-seeking landers and rovers.

— adam mann, Scientific American, "Curiosity Rover Uncovers Long-Sought Organic Materials on Martian Surface," 7 June 2018
Sulfur may have helped protect the organics even when the rocks were exposed at the surface to radiation and bleach-like substances called perchlorates.

— National Geographic, "Building Blocks of Life Found on Mars," 7 June 2018
After carefully accounting for background contamination from SAM, Freissinet and her colleagues baked 3-billion-year-old mudstone samples at over 500 degrees C, a temperature at which perchlorates should have fully burned away.

— adam mann, Scientific American, "Curiosity Rover Uncovers Long-Sought Organic Materials on Martian Surface," 7 June 2018
The middle of the cylinder is filled with a powdered mixture of ammonium perchlorate and ammonium nitrate, the oxidants.

— The Economist, "A rocket that devours itself," 31 May 2018
Bacteria that eat perchlorates might also be used to cleanse the soil.

— author: kenneth chang, Anchorage Daily News, "If we ever get to Mars, the beer might not be bad," 13 Jan. 2018
Bacteria that eat perchlorates might also be used to cleanse the soil.

— author: kenneth chang, Anchorage Daily News, "If we ever get to Mars, the beer might not be bad," 13 Jan. 2018
In another building at Promontory, the segments are lowered into an underground shaft where they will be loaded with solid rocket fuel, a mixture of aluminum powder fuel and ammonium perchlorate as the oxidizer.

— joe pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, "Solid Rocket City: The Utah Space Center Fighting for Its Life," 4 Apr. 2018
One aspect that Guinan and Wamelink have not tackled yet is the presence on Mars of perchlorates, a poisonous chemical that causes thyroid problems in people.

— author: kenneth chang, Anchorage Daily News, "If we ever get to Mars, the beer might not be bad," 13 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'perchlorate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.