Meaning & use
anhydrous
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Meaning
adjectivenot comparabletechnicalchemistry
Containing no water, especially no water chemically bound in the crystal structure.
Grammar: Used mainly before a noun; it is not usually graded.
Patterns
- anhydrous + noun
Anhydrous copper sulfate turns blue when water is added.
The lab stores anhydrous ethanol to avoid dilution.
Anhydrous ammonia is a gas used in some fertilizers.
Common combinations
- anhydrous salt
- Anhydrous salt forms when the water of crystallization is removed.
- anhydrous form
- The anhydrous form of the drug is more stable.
- anhydrous ammonia
- Anhydrous ammonia must be handled with care.
- anhydrous ethanol
- Fuel blends often require anhydrous ethanol.
Synonyms and how they differ
- waterless
- Waterless is a general word for lacking water; anhydrous is the precise chemistry term.
- dry
- Dry can mean simply not wet; anhydrous means no water is present at all, including bound water.
Opposites
Word family
- anhydride noun
- A compound formed by removing water from another compound.
- hydrate noun
- A compound that contains water molecules in its structure.
Commonly confused: anhydrous or hydrated?
anhydrous vs hydrated
Hydrated means water is present; anhydrous means it is absent.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'anhydrous' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Anhydrous means without water, so it must be kept away from moisture. Option 0 describes a hydrated compound, option 2 is the opposite meaning, and option 3 contradicts the term.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “anhydrous”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.