ferric chloride

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

fer′ric chlo′ride, [Chem.]

1. Chemistry a compound that in its anhydrous form, FeCl₃, occurs as a black-brown, water-soluble solid;
   in its hydrated form, FeCl₃·xH₂O, it occurs in orange-yellow, deliquescent crystals: used chiefly in engraving, for deodorizing sewage, as a mordant, and in medicine as an astringent and styptic. Also called iron trichloride, iron perchloride. 

• 1890–95