Dictionary
oxal'ic ac'id
Chem.
a white, crystalline, water-soluble, poisonous acid, H
2C
2O
4·2H
2O, 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.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.