Topic summary
Bicarbonate
In inorganic chemistry, bicarbonate (American English: ; IUPAC-recommended nomenclature: hydrogencarbonate) is an intermediate form in the deprotonation of carbonic acid. It is a polyatomicanion with the chemical formula HCO3.
Bicarbonate serves a crucial biochemical role in the physiological pHbuffering system.
The term "bicarbonate" was coined in 1814 by the English chemist William Hyde Wollaston. The name lives on as a trivial name.