Ma'anar ƙamus na kalmar "carbonate" wani fili ne wanda ya ƙunshi carbonate ion (CO32-), wanda shine polyatomic ion wanda ya ƙunshi carbon atom guda ɗaya da oxygen atoms uku. Carbonates gabaɗaya suna samuwa ne daga halayen da ke tsakanin ƙarfe ko ƙarfe na ƙasa na alkaline da carbonic acid. Wasu misalai na yau da kullun na carbonates sun haɗa da calcium carbonate (CaCO3), sodium carbonate (Na2CO3), da potassium carbonate (K2CO3). Ana amfani da Carbonate a aikace-aikace iri-iri, kamar wajen samar da siminti, a matsayin wani bangare na takin noma, da kera gilashi da yumbura.