salt-cake
Definition
Noun: - Chemical compound: "salt-cake" refers to sodium sulfate (Na₂SO₄), a chemical compound commonly used in industrial processes such as glass-making and paper manufacturing. It is typically a white, crystalline solid that is soluble in water.
Usage Examples
- (Sodium sulfate is obtained from this chemical process.)
- (Sodium sulfate is used as a key ingredient in paper production.)
Advanced Usage
- "to extract salt-cake": to obtain sodium sulfate from natural or industrial sources.
- Mining operations extract salt-cake from salt flats. (Sodium sulfate is collected from natural deposits.)
Variants and Related Words
- Salt cake (n): an alternative spelling of "salt-cake," meaning the same chemical compound.
- The lab ordered a supply of salt cake for experiments. (Sodium sulfate was purchased for research.)
- Sodium sulfate (n): the systematic chemical name for salt-cake.
- Sodium sulfate is used in detergents as a filler. (The same compound is applied in cleaning products.)
Synonyms
- Glauber's salt: a hydrated form of sodium sulfate (Na₂SO₄·10H₂O), often used historically in medicine.
- Glauber's salt was once prescribed as a laxative. (This hydrate is chemically related to salt-cake.)
- Thenardite: the mineral form of anhydrous sodium sulfate.
- Thenardite is found in arid regions as a natural salt deposit. (This mineral is identical to salt-cake in composition.)
Related Idioms
- "worth its salt-cake": a rare, industrial idiom meaning something is valuable in terms of its chemical or monetary worth.
- The shipment of salt-cake was worth its salt-cake to the glass factory. (The sodium sulfate had high industrial value.)
- Note: This idiom is not common in everyday speech; it is used mainly in technical contexts.