bi-

  1. Prefix.  two -.
  2. Prefix.  (chemistry) half - In an old, common method used to indicate the presence of an acidic hydrogen, sodium hydrogen sulfate is called sodium ''bi''sulfate and sodium hydrogen carbonate is called sodium ''bi''carbonate. This method is not recommended by IUPAC and does not denote a "doubling up" of a specific group, which is reserved for the Greek prefix "di-" (e.x. carbon ''di''oxide, CO2).

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This entry was last updated on RefTopia from its source on 3/20/2012.