alkali
Chemistry.
any of various bases, the hydroxides of the alkali metals and of ammonium, that neutralize acids to form salts and turn red litmus paper blue.
any of various other more or less active bases, as calcium hydroxide.
(not in technical use) an alkali metal.
Obsolete. any of various other compounds, as the carbonates of sodium and potassium.
Agriculture. a soluble mineral salt or a mixture of soluble salts, present in some soils, especially in arid regions, and detrimental to the growing of most crops.
Chemistry. alkaline.
Origin of alkali
1Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use alkali in a sentence
It is represented as a more delicate test of acid and alkalis than litmus.
Field's Chromatography | George FieldThus, all metals dissolved in acids are precipitated by mild alkalis.
The nitrous acid unites with phlogiston, alkalis, metallic substances, and calcareous earth.
Alkalis are of two kinds; the fixed, which have no smell, and the volatile which have a pungent one.
It dissolves readily in alkalis and is slightly soluble in hot benzene and chloroform, but insoluble in hot water.
British Dictionary definitions for alkali
/ (ˈælkəˌlaɪ) /
chem a soluble base or a solution of a base
a soluble mineral salt that occurs in arid soils and some natural waters
Origin of alkali
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for alkali
[ ăl′kə-lī′ ]
A hydroxide of an alkali metal. The aqueous solution of alkalis is bitter, slippery, caustic, and characteristically basic in reactions.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for alkali
[ (al-kuh-leye) ]
Notes for alkali
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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