oxalic acid

noun

, Chemistry.

1. a white, crystalline, water-soluble, poisonous acid, H 2 C 2 O 4 ⋅2H 2 O, 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.

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 nameethanedioic acid

oxalic acid

/ ŏk-săl′ĭk /

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: C 2 H 2 O 4 .

Word History and Origins

Origin of oxalic acid¹

First recorded in 1785–95

Word History and Origins

Origin of oxalic acid¹

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

Example Sentences

It’s sometimes possible to lighten stains with chemicals such as oxalic acid, but you’d also need to refinish the floor.

From Washington Post

The oxalic acid in sorrel is an irritant poison, causing retching and violent pains.

From Project Gutenberg

Its resistance is at once overcome by flooding it with a poison, probably oxalic acid.

From Project Gutenberg

Chromic and nitric acids oxidize it to oxalic acid and carbon dioxide.

From Project Gutenberg

On digestion of its warm aqueous solution with warm dilute sulphuric acid, hydrazine sulphate and oxalic acid are obtained.

From Project Gutenberg

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

From Project Gutenberg