gallic acid

2 definitions found

gallic acid - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Gallic \Gal"lic\ (277), a. [From Gall the excrescence.]
     Pertaining to, or derived from, galls, nutgalls, and the
     like.
     [1913 Webster]
  
     Gallic acid (Chem.), an organic acid, very widely
        distributed in the vegetable kingdom, being found in the
        free state in galls, tea, etc., and produced artificially.
        It is a white, crystalline substance, C6H2(HO)3.CO2H,
        with an astringent taste, and is a strong reducing agent,
        as employed in photography. It is usually prepared from
        tannin, and both give a dark color with iron salts,
        forming tannate and gallate of iron, which are the
        essential ingredients of common black ink.
        [1913 Webster]

gallic acid - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  gallic acid
      n 1: a colorless crystalline acid obtained from tannin