alkali

alkali (ăl`kəlī) [Arab., al-gili=ashes of saltwort], hydroxide of an alkali metal. Alkalies are readily soluble in water and form strongly basic solutions with a characteristic acrid taste. They neutralize acids, forming salts and water. Strong alkalies (e.g., those of sodium or potassium) are sometimes called caustic alkalies. The term alkali originally applied to salts obtained from plant ashes and is sometimes applied to a carbonate of sodium or potassium or to the hydroxide of an alkaline-earth metal.

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alkali

Inorganic compound, any soluble hydroxide (−OH) of the alkali metals: lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, and cesium. More broadly, ammonium hydroxide (see ammonia) and soluble hydroxides of the alkaline earth metals are also called alkalies. Strong bases that turn litmus paper blue, they react with acids to yield salts, are caustic, and in concentrated form corrode tissues. Sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) and potassium hydroxide (caustic potash) are very important industrial chemicals, used in the manufacture of soaps, glass, and many other products. The mineral trona, a compound of sodium carbonate and bicarbonate, is one naturally occurring alkali. It may be mined or recovered from dry lake beds.