NITRIFICATION • DICCIONARIO INGLES.COM • Definition of Nitrification

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noun

Nitrification n.

(Chem.)

(a)

The act, process, or result of combining with nitrogen or some of its compounds.

(b)

The act or process of oxidizing nitrogen or its compounds so as to form nitrous or nitric acid.

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. Note: The process is going on at all times in porous soils and in water contaminated with nitrogenous matter, and is supposed to be due to the presence of a bacteria, such as members of the genus Azotobacter, formerly called nitrification ferments. In former times the process was extensively made use of in the production of saltpeter.

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Etymology of 'Nitrification'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

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"Nitrification" Quotes from Famous Books

... the fact that the decomposition of the organic matter of the soil—including both fresh materials and old humus—is hastened by tillage and by underdrainage, which permit the oxygen of the air to enter the soil more freely, oxygen being a most active agent in nitrification and other decomposition processes of organic matter, as well as in the more common combustion of ...

— The Farm That Won't Wear Out • Cyril G. Hopkins

... whole intimately together, like a gardener who prepares fine soil for his choicest plants. In this state it is well fitted to retain moisture and to absorb all soluble substances, as well as for the process of nitrification. The bones of dead animals, the harder parts of insects, the shells of land mollusks, leaves, twigs, etc., are before long all buried beneath the accumulated castings of worms, and are thus brought in a more ...

— Young Folks' Library, Volume XI (of 20) - Wonders of Earth, Sea and Sky • Various

Words linked to "Nitrification" : chemical change, oxidization, oxidisation, plant life, chemical action, chemical process, plant, nitrify