Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun The process, induced by certain microbes, by which, the nitrogen of organic material in the soil is oxidized to nitric acid.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun The act, process, or result of combining with nitrogen or some of its compounds.
- noun The act or process of oxidizing nitrogen or its compounds so as to form nitrous or nitric acid.
- noun A process of oxidation, in which nitrogenous vegetable and animal matter in the presence of air, moisture, and some basic substances, as lime or alkali carbonate, is converted into nitrates.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun the act of
nitrifying
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun the oxidation of ammonium compounds in dead organic material into nitrates and nitrites by soil bacteria (making nitrogen available to plants)
- noun the chemical process in which a nitro group is added to an organic compound (or substituted for another group in an organic compound)
Etymologies
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Examples
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"Technically the last two steps in the process are nitrification proper; but, speaking generally, the term nitrification is used to include the three steps, or both ammonification and nitrification proper.
The Story of the Soil; from the Basis of Absolute Science and Real Life, 1892
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This ultimate destruction of organic matter is often called nitrification because one of the main substances released is nitrate -- that vital fertilizer that makes plants grow green and fast.
Organic Gardener's Composting Steve Solomon
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Cyanobacteria in aquatic ecosystems and some free-living bacteria in soil are able to fix atmospheric nitrogen Nitrate (NO3 −) Formation and Use Plants also use nitrates (NO3 −) as source of nitrogen Production of nitrates during the nitrogen cycle is called nitrification
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"The risk of the impact (of the ammonium nitrate) is nitrification, which is algae blooms,"
Reuters: Top News 2009
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"nitrification" -- _i. e._, the process whereby organic nitrogen and ammonia salts are converted into nitrites and nitrates.
Manures and the principles of manuring Charles Morton Aikman
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While, however, there may be circumstances in which lime, especially in its caustic form, acts as an antiseptic, its general tendency is to promote these fermentative changes, such as nitrification, so important to plant-life.
Manures and the principles of manuring Charles Morton Aikman
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From what, however, we have subsequently learned regarding the process of "nitrification," it is quite probable that the nitrogen in these experiments was first converted into nitrates before being assimilated.
Manures and the principles of manuring Charles Morton Aikman
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In addition to the bacteria, the burned sites had greater rates of nitrification, meaning that nitrogen was being processed more quickly through the ecosystem than without a fire.
U.S. News 2010
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Biological processes such as nitrification and denitrification are thought to drive nitrous oxide production in soils, which comprise the largest source of nitrous oxide to the atmosphere.
Naturejobs - All Jobs Vladimir A. Samarkin 2010
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In its dissolved form (NH4+) it contributes acidity to surface waters through the process of nitrification.
Acid rain 2010
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