oxalic acid
Save This Word!
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.
QUIZZES
THINK YOU’VE GOT A HANDLE ON THIS US STATE NICKNAME QUIZ?
Did you ever collect all those state quarters? Put them to good use on this quiz about curious state monikers and the facts around them.
Question 1 of 8
Mississippi’s nickname comes from the magnificent trees that grow there. What is it?
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. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for oxalic acid
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 ]
n.
A poisonous crystalline organic acid found in many plants and used as an agent in chemical reduction.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.