denitrificationn.
/diːˌnʌɪtrɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/ The reduction, esp. by bacteria, of simple inorganic nitrogen compounds; spec. the reduction of nitrates through several intermediates to gaseous nitrogen.
ΚΠ
1883 Jrnl. Chem. Soc. 44 230 The denitrification is effected by the organisms which are developed; for if the liquid is sterilised by heat..the liquid remains clear and the nitrate is not altered.
1932 G. D. Fuller & H. S. Conard tr. J. Braun-Blanquet Plant Sociol. viii. 242 Very acid soils without herbaceous cover, in conifer forests, have a decided tendency towards denitrification.
1934 G. J. Fowler Introd. Biochem. Nitrogen Conserv. vi. 132 Denitrification, as the name implies, is the reverse of nitrification.
1964 M. Hynes Med. Bacteriol. (ed. 8) i. 8 Denitrification is effected by other bacteria which use nitrates or nitrites as hydrogen acceptors, reducing them to ammonia and thus perhaps impairing the fertility of the soil.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1972; most recently modified version published online June 2018).
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