picric

A student carefully handles a bottle of picric acid in the laboratory.

Definition

Adjective - Relating to picric acid: "picric" is an adjective used specifically in chemistry to describe a yellow, bitter, explosive compound known as picric acid (trinitrophenol). It is primarily used as a dye, antiseptic, and in explosives.

Usage Examples

• (Referring to the explosive chemical.)
• (Describing substances containing or related to picric acid.)

Advanced Usage

• "picric acid": the full chemical name for trinitrophenol, a yellow crystalline solid.
  • Picric acid was historically used as a yellow dye for textiles. (The compound's application in dyeing.)

Variants and Related Words

• Picrate (noun): a salt or ester of picric acid.
  • The picrate formed during the reaction was highly unstable. (A derivative of picric acid.)

Synonyms

• Trinitrophenol: the systematic chemical name for picric acid.
• Explosive yellow dye: a descriptive term for its properties and use.

Related Idioms

• No common idioms exist for "picric," as it is a specialized chemical term.