ferric chloride

noun

: a deliquescent dark salt FeCl3 that readily hydrates to the yellow-orange form and that is used especially for etching, in sewage treatment, and as an astringent

Word History

First Known Use

1835, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ferric chloride was in 1835

Dictionary Entries Near ferric chloride

ferric ammonium citrate

ferric chloride

ferric oxide

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Cite this Entry

“Ferric chloride.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ferric%20chloride. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

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Medical Definition

ferric chloride

noun
: a deliquescent salt FeCl3 that is used chiefly as an oxidizing agent, as a catalyst, as an etching agent in photoengraving, as a coagulant in treating industrial wastes, and in medicine in a water solution or tincture usually as an astringent or styptic

More from Merriam-Webster on ferric chloride

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about ferric chloride

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