In chemistry the term zincate may refer to In chemistry the term zincate may refer to In industry it can refer to the alkaline solutions used in a dipping (immersion) process to plate aluminium with zinc prior to electrolytic or electroless nickel plating. This immersion process is electroless (i.e. not electroplating) and involves the displacement of zinc from zincate by aluminum: It can also refer to alkaline solutions used in electroplating of e.g. steel with zinc. In the naming of inorganic compounds zincate is a suffix that indicates that a polyatomic anion contains a central zinc atom. Examples include tetrachlorozincate, ZnCl42−, the tetrahydroxozincate, Zn(OH)42− and tetranitratozincate, Zn(NO3)42−. More recent recommendations (2005), that are not widely used, would call the first two ions tetrachloridozincate(2−) and tetrahydroxidozincate(2−) respectively. It is now generally accepted that the ionic species in alkali solutions of ZnO or Zn(OH)2 contain Zn(OH)42−. Earlier Raman studies had been interpreted as indicating the existence of linear ZnO22− ions.