oxalic acid

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noun Chemistry.

a white, crystalline, water-soluble, poisonous acid, H2C2O4⋅2H2O, first discovered in the juice of the wood sorrel species of oxalis and obtained by reacting carbon monoxide with sodium hydroxide or certain carbohydrates with acids or alkalis: used chiefly for bleaching, as a cleanser, and as a laboratory reagent.

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Origin of oxalic acid

First recorded in 1785–95

Words nearby oxalic acid

oxacillin sodium, oxalate, oxalate calculus, oxalemia, oxalic, oxalic acid, oxalis, oxaloacetic acid, oxalosis, oxalosuccinic acid, oxaluria

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use oxalic acid in a sentence

It’s sometimes possible to lighten stains with chemicals such as oxalic acid, but you’d also need to refinish the floor.
How to clean and care for hardwood floors|Jeanne Huber|October 8, 2021|Washington Post
I write the lyrics and work with Murv Douglas from Lords of Acid.
Porn Stars on the Year in Porn: Drone Erotica, Belle Knox, and Wild Sex|Aurora Snow|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
During the height of his disenchantment, he visited his hometown where an old friend gave him some liquid acid.
DJ Spooky Wants You To Question Everything You Know About Music, Technology, and Philosophy|Oliver Jones|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Eggs, he says, are a good source of cysteine, an amino acid that helps the liver break down alcohol faster.
5 Hangover Cures to Save You After a Few Too Many|DailyBurn|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST

This at-home blood test kit gives a full reading of antioxidant, fatty acid, or vitamin panels.
Nothing Says I Love You Like Data|The Daily Beast|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The recent spate of acid attacks on women is only the latest manifestation of this dangerous trend.
The Nuclear Deal That Iran’s Regime Fears Most|Djavad Khadem|November 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There are a number of bacilli, called acid-fast bacilli, which stain in the same way as the tubercle bacillus.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
The amount of the other purin bodies together is about one-tenth that of uric acid.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
Uric acid is decreased before an attack of gout and increased afterward, but its etiologic relation is still uncertain.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
An increase is also noted in the uric-acid diathesis and in diseases accompanied by respiratory insufficiency.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
Indol is absorbed and oxidized into indoxyl, which combines with potassium and sulphuric acid and is thus excreted.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd

British Dictionary definitions for oxalic acid

oxalic acid

/ (ɒkˈsælɪk) /

noun

a colourless poisonous crystalline dicarboxylic acid found in many plants: used as a bleach and a cleansing agent for metals. Formula: (COOH) 2Systematic name: ethanedioic acid

Word Origin for oxalic acid

C18: from French oxalique, from Latin oxalis garden sorrel; see oxalis

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for oxalic acid

oxalic acid

[ ŏk-săl′ĭk ]

A poisonous crystalline organic acid found in many plants and used as an agent in chemical reduction.

Scientific definitions for oxalic acid

oxalic acid

[ ŏk-săl′ĭk ]

A poisonous, crystalline acid found in a number of plants such as sorrel and the leaf blades of rhubarb. It is used for many industrial purposes, including rust removal and bleaching. Chemical formula: C2H2O4.