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, 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.