The
chlorate anion has the formula ClO
3-. In this case, the
chlorine atom is in the +5
oxidation state. "Chlorate" can also refer to
chemical compounds containing this anion;
chlorates are the
salts of
chloric acid. "Chlorate", when followed by a Roman numeral in parentheses, e.g. chlorate(VII), refers to a particular oxyanion of chlorine.