ferric chloride
noun Chemistry.
a compound that in its anhydrous form, FeCl3, occurs as a black-brown, water-soluble solid; in its hydrated form, FeCl3⋅xH2O, it occurs in orange-yellow, deliquescent crystals: used chiefly in engraving, for deodorizing sewage, as a mordant, and in medicine as an astringent and styptic.
Nearby words
- ferret out,
- ferri-,
- ferriage,
- ferric,
- ferric ammonium oxalate,
- ferric chloride test,
- ferric oxide,
- ferric sodium oxalate,
- ferricyanic acid,
- ferricyanide
Origin of ferric chloride
First recorded in 1890–95
Also called iron trichloride, iron perchloride.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019