Definition

1. Noun:
   • A highly corrosive, dense, oily liquid acid: "Oil of vitriol" is an archaic, historical name for sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄). The term describes its physical appearance as an oily substance and its historical derivation from "vitriol" (certain sulfate minerals).

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Early alchemists carefully distilled oil of vitriol in their experiments.
  • The industrial process requires large quantities of oil of vitriol.
  • Handling oil of vitriol requires extreme caution due to its corrosive nature.

Advanced Usage

• Historical/Literary Context: The term is primarily used in historical, alchemical, or older technical texts. In modern contexts, "sulfuric acid" is the standard term.
  • The 17th-century manuscript described the production of oil of vitriol from green vitriol (iron sulfate).

Variants and Related Words

• Sulfuric acid (n): The modern, systematic chemical name for H₂SO₄.
• Vitriol (n, archaic): Historically referred to various sulfate salts (e.g., blue vitriol for copper sulfate, green vitriol for iron sulfate) from which the acid could be produced.
• Battery acid (n): A common name for sulfuric acid when used in lead-acid batteries.

Synonyms

• Sulfuric acid
• Hydrogen sulfate (technical/IUPAC name)
• Dihydrogen sulfate

Notes on Meaning

• The term specifically refers to concentrated sulfuric acid, which has a dense, oily consistency. Dilute aqueous solutions are not typically described as "oil of vitriol." Its primary meaning is chemical and industrial.

Noun

1. (H2SO4) a highly corrosive acid made from sulfur dioxide; widely used in the chemical industry