Chem.
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.
[ 1785-95 ]