Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

phosphoric acid

(Encyclopedia)phosphoric acid, any one of three chemical compounds made up of phosphorus, oxygen, and hydrogen (see acids and bases). The most common, orthophosphoric acid, H3PO4, is usually simply called phosphori...

salicylic acid

(Encyclopedia)salicylic acid or 2-hydroxybenzoic acid, C6H4(OH)CO2H, a colorless, crystalline organic carboxylic acid that melts at 159℃; it is soluble in ethanol and ether but is only slightly soluble in water. ...

racemic acid

(Encyclopedia)racemic acid rāsēˈmĭk [key]: see tartaric acid. ...

prussic acid

(Encyclopedia)prussic acid: see hydrogen cyanide. ...

pteroylglutamic acid

(Encyclopedia)pteroylglutamic acid tĕrōˌĭlglo͞otămˈĭk [key]: see vitamin. ...

pyroligneous acid

(Encyclopedia)pyroligneous acid pīˌrəlĭgˈnēəs [key], a dark liquid that is essentially a mixture of acetic acid and methanol (wood alcohol) and is obtained in the destructive distillation of wood. It once se...

nicotinic acid

(Encyclopedia)nicotinic acid: see coenzyme; vitamin. ...

pantothenic acid

(Encyclopedia)pantothenic acid pănˈtəthĕnˈĭk [key]: see coenzyme; vitamin. ...

oxalic acid

(Encyclopedia)oxalic acid ĕthˌāndīōĭk [key], HO2CCO2H, a colorless, crystalline organic carboxylic acid that melts at 189℃ with sublimation. Oxalic acid and oxalate salts are poisonous. Oxalic acid is found...

acid anhydride

(Encyclopedia)acid anhydride ănhīˈdrīd, –drəd [key], chemical compound that reacts with water to form an acid (see acids and bases). Anhydrides of inorganic acids are usually oxides of nonmetallic elements. ...