| a white, crystalline, water-soluble, poisonous acid, H2C2O4·2H2O, 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. |
ox·al·ic acid  (ŏk-sāl'ĭk)  n. A poisonous, colorless crystalline organic acid, HOOCCOOH·2H2O, found in many plants, such as spinach, and used as a bleach and rust remover. [Latin oxalis, wood sorrel; see oxalis + -ic.] |
oxalic acid ox·al·ic acid (ŏk-sāl'ĭk)
n.
A poisonous crystalline organic acid found in many plants and used as an agent in chemical reduction.