oxalic acid


nounChemistry.
  1. 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.

Origin of oxalic acid

1
First recorded in 1785–95

Words Nearby oxalic acid

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use oxalic acid in a sentence

  • As it is, the oxalic acid weakened the fibre so that we have had to darn it.

    Brenda's Ward | Helen Leah Reed

British Dictionary definitions for oxalic acid

oxalic acid

/ (ɒkˈsælɪk) /


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

Origin of oxalic acid

1
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

Scientific definitions for oxalic acid

oxalic acid

[ ŏk-sălĭk ]


  1. 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.

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