ləˈbläⁿ-, -äŋk- noun
Usage: usually capitalized L
Etymology: after Nicolas Leblanc died 1806 French chemist
: a process formerly used for manufacturing soda by treating salt with sulfuric acid, heating the resulting sodium sulfate with limestone and coal, and extracting with water the soluble sodium carbonate from the dark-colored mass formed ; also : a similar process for manufacturing potash