glauber's salts
Definition
Noun: - A hydrated sodium sulfate compound: Glauber's salts is the common name for sodium sulfate decahydrate (Na₂SO₄·10H₂O). It is a colorless, crystalline salt historically and medically used for its strong laxative (cathartic) properties.
Usage
- Medical/Historical Context: The term is used to refer to the specific compound when discussing its use as a purgative in historical or alternative medicine.
- The 18th-century doctor prescribed Glauber's salts to his patient.
- Glauber's salts acts as an effective cathartic.
Advanced Usage
- Scientific/Industrial Context: In modern contexts, the term might appear in historical texts or when discussing the history of chemistry. The anhydrous form (sodium sulfate) is used industrially, but the specific hydrated form "Glauber's salts" is named after the chemist Johann Rudolf Glauber.
- The discovery of Glauber's salts was an important moment in early chemistry.
Variants and Related Words
- Glauber's salt: A singular variant of the term, often used interchangeably with "Glauber's salts."
- Sodium sulfate decahydrate: The precise chemical name for Glauber's salts.
- Mirabilite: The natural mineral form of sodium sulfate decahydrate.
Synonyms
- Cathartic salt: A general term describing its medical function.
- Purgative salt: Another term emphasizing its laxative use.
Notes on Meaning
The term is almost exclusively used in its historical or specific chemical sense. It is not used in general conversation. The 'salts' in the name refers to its crystalline, salt-like form, not to table salt (sodium chloride).
Noun
-
(Na2SO4.10H2O) a colorless salt used as a cathartic
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