picric acid

noun

Chemistry.

1. a yellow, crystalline, water-soluble, intensely bitter, poisonous acid, C 6 H 3 N 3 O 7 , used chiefly in explosives.

picric acid

/ ˈpɪkrɪk /

noun

1. Systematic name: 2,4,6-trinitrophenol. a toxic sparingly soluble crystalline yellow acid used as a dye, antiseptic, and explosive. Formula: C 6 H 2 OH(NO 2 ) 3 See also lyddite

picric acid

1. A poisonous, yellow crystalline solid used in explosives, dyes, and antiseptics. Chemical formula: C ₆ H ₃ N ₃ O ₇ .

Word History and Origins

Origin of picric acid¹

First recorded in 1850–55

Example Sentences

One of the ships was a Belgian relief vessel; the other was the SS Mont-Blanc, a French munitions ship packed to the gills with explosives such as TNT, picric acid, benzol and guncotton.

From Los Angeles Times

Recently, eosin has been used to colour red and picric acid for yellow, both well diluted with water.

From Project Gutenberg

It was a huge and curiously-shaped air-ship, and was to be used for dropping great charges of m�linite and steel bombs filled with picric acid into the handsome historic city of Edinburgh!

From Project Gutenberg

The Vieille powder, invented in 1887 and adopted in France for a magazine rifle, consisted of gelatinized guncotton with a little picric acid.

From Project Gutenberg

It has displaced picric acid owing to its superiority, physically and chemically, over that substance.

From Project Gutenberg