aspartate
|a-spar-tate|
🇺🇸
/əˈspɑɹ.teɪt/
🇬🇧
/əˈspɑː.teɪt/
anion or salt of aspartic acid
Etymology
'aspartate' originates from New/Modern Latin chemical nomenclature, specifically from 'aspartic' (relating to aspartic acid) combined with the chemical suffix '-ate', where 'aspartic' ultimately derives from 'asparagine', named after Latin 'asparagus' (asparagus).
'aspartate' developed as a systematic chemical name from the 19th–20th century usage of 'aspartic acid' and the suffix '-ate' to denote salts/esters; the sequence was: 'asparagine' (isolated from asparagus) → 'aspartic acid' → the anion/salt name 'aspartate' in modern biochemical nomenclature.
Initially the related names referenced compounds isolated from asparagus (asparagine/aspartic acid); over time 'aspartate' came to be used specifically for the deprotonated form (anion) or salts/esters of aspartic acid and as an attributive term in biochemistry.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the conjugate base (anion) of aspartic acid; specifically, the deprotonated carboxylate form HOOC–CH(NH2)–CH2–COO− is referred to as aspartate.
In the active site, an aspartate coordinates a metal ion that is essential for catalysis.
Synonyms
Noun 2
a salt or ester of aspartic acid, e.g. sodium aspartate or methyl aspartate.
The medication contains sodium aspartate as a stabilizing salt.
Synonyms
Noun 3
in biochemistry, an aspartate residue: the aspartic acid side chain within a peptide or protein, often described simply as 'an aspartate'.
Mutation of the conserved aspartate to alanine abolished enzymatic activity.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/10/30 09:56