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Oxalic acid is an organic compound with the IUPAC name ethanedioic acid and formula HO2C−CO2H. It is the simplest dicarboxylic acid. It is a white crystalline solid that forms a colorless solution in water. Its name comes from the fact that early investigators isolated oxalic acid from flowering plants of the genus Oxalis, commonly known as wood-sorrels. It occurs naturally in many foods, but excessive ingestion of oxalic acid or prolonged skin contact can be dangerous. Oxalic acid, also called ethanedioic acid, a colourless, crystalline, toxic organic compound belonging to the family of carboxylic acids. Oxalic acid is widely used as an acid rinse in laundries, where it is effective in removing rust and ink stains because it converts most insoluble iron compounds into a soluble complex ion. For the same reason, it is the chief constituent of many commercial preparations used for removing scale from automobile radiators. Oxalic acid QUICK FACTS RELATED TOPICS Dicarboxylic acid The formula of oxalic acid is (C2H2O4); its usual form is that of the crystalline hydrate, (COOH)2·2H2O. Known as a constituent of wood sorrel as early as the 17th century, oxalic acid was first prepared synthetically in 1776. It is manufactured by heating sodium formate in the presence of an alkali catalyst, by oxidizing carbohydrates with nitric acid, by heating sawdust with caustic alkalies, or by fermentation of sugar solutions in the presence of certain molds. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica #oxalic #oxalicacidpowder #clothes