Why is HCO3 called bicarbonate?

Question

There's your question. ^ First person to give me a correct answer, or a website link which explains the answer, gets the points.

Answer 1

it is jsut chemical nomenclature.

-ate is the ending that is given to an oxyanion, or a negatively charged oxygen containing molecule.

in a polyatomic anion, you usually have hydrogen, so you add the 'hydrogen' or 'bi-' to the name. referring to bicarbonate as 'hydrogen carbonate' is still the same thing.

so 'bi' is the same as 'hydrogen' and 'carbonate' means that it is  an oxyanion containing carbon.

here for more :

http://www.shodor.org/UNChem/basic/nomen...

Answer 2

In inorganic chemistry, bicarbonate is an intermediate form in the deprotonation of carbonic acid. Bicarbonate is an anion with the empirical formula (HCO3−). Carbonic acid (H2CO3) is a weak acid, and the salts of carbonic acids are called bicarbonates.