| Part of Speech | Definition | |
| Noun Plural | 1. Plural inflection of the noun alkali.[Eve - graph theoretic] | |
| Noun Base (alkali) | 1. Any of various water-soluble compounds capable of turning litmus blue and reacting with an acid to form a salt and water.[Wordnet]. 2. A mixture of soluble salts found in arid soils and some bodies of water; detrimental to agriculture.[Wordnet]. 3. Soda ash; caustic soda, caustic potash, etc.[Websters]. 4. One of a class of caustic bases, such as soda, potash, ammonia, and lithia, whose distinguishing peculiarities are solubility in alcohol and water, uniting with oils and fats to form soap, neutralizing and forming salts with acids, turning to brown several vegetable yellows, and changing reddened litmus to blue.[Websters]. | |
Sources: compiled from various sources, (under license) copyright 2008. | Top | |
Date "ALKALIS" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1781. (references) |
Specialty Definition: alkali
| Domain | Definition | ||
| Administration | Any strongly basic (high pH) substance capable of neutralizing an acid, such as soda, potash, etc., that is soluble in water and increases the pH of a solution greater than 7.0. Also refers to soluble salts in soil, surface water, or groundwater. (references) | ||
| Agriculture | Various soluble salts, principally of sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium, that have the property of combining with acids to form neutral salts and may be used in chemical water treatment processes. (references) | ||
| Chemistry | A soluble salt obtained from the ashes of plants and consisting largely of potassium or sodium carbonate; a substance having marked basic properties. Source: European Union. (references) | ||
| Energy | A soluble mineral salt. (references) | ||
| Mining | A. Any strongly basic substance, such as a hydroxide or carbonate of an alkali metal (e.g., sodium, potassium). Plural: alkalies. Adj.alkaline; alkalic. Said of silicate minerals that contain alkali metals but little calcium; e.g., the alkali feldspars b. Any substance having marked basic properties; i.e., being capable of furnishing to its solution or other substances the hydroxyl ion, OH (super-) e.g., the alkali feldspars i.e., being capable of furnishing to its solution or other substances the hydroxyl ion, OH (super-). (references) | ||
| Security | A chemical which neutralizes acids forming salts. Alkalis have high pH's. Alkalis are corrosive. (references) | ||
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | Top | ||
Common Expressions: alkali
| Expressions | Definition | ||
| Alkali Act 1863 | Under the British Alkali Act 1863, an Alkali Inspector and four subinspectors were appointed to curb the discharge into the air of hydrochloric gas from the Le Blanc alkali works. (references) | ||
| Alkali albumin | Albumin as modified by the action of alkaline substances; -- called also albuminate . Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary. | ||
| Alkali bee | A common solitary bee important for pollinating alfalfa in the western United States. Source: Wordnet 3.0 Copyright © 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. | ||
| Alkali grass | Plant of western North America having grasslike leaves and greenish-white flowers. Source: Wordnet 3.0 Copyright © 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. | ||
| Alkali green | (Chem.), an alkali salt of a sulphonic acid derivative of a complex aniline dye, resembling emerald green; -- called also Helvetia green . Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary. | ||
| Alkali metal | Any of the monovalent metals of group I of the periodic table (lithium or sodium or potassium or rubidium or cesium or francium); "the hydroxides of the alkali metals are strongly alkaline". Source: Wordnet 3.0 Copyright © 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. | ||
| Alkali poisoning | Poisoning resulting from the ingestion of an alkali compound (as lye or ammonia). Source: Wordnet 3.0 Copyright © 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. | ||
| Black alkali | Which may be any alkaline carbonate, but which practically consists of sodium carbonate (sal soda), which is highly corrosive and destructive to vegetation; and white alkali , characterized by the presence of sodium sulphate (Glauber's salt), which is less injurious to vegetation. Black alkali is so called because water containing it dissolves humus, forming a dark-colored solution which, when it collects in puddles and evaporates, produces characteristic black spots. Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary. | ||
| Fixed alkali | (Old Chem.), a non-volatile base, as soda, or potash, in distinction from the volatile alkali ammonia. Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary. | ||
| Vegetable alkali | (Chem.), an alkaloid. Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary. | ||
| Volatile alkali | (Old Chem.) See under Alkali . Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary. | ||
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | Top | ||
Specialty Expressions: alkali
| Expressions | Domain | Definition | |
| Alkali bentonite | Mining | A bentonite containing easily exchangeable alkali cations and having original properties that are not permanently destroyed by the action of sulfuric acid, but can be restored by treatment with an alkali salt followed by regulated dialysis. This group includes Wyoming-type bentoniteand other similar bentonites. (references) | |
| Alkali dermatitis | Medicine | Irritation of the skin by caustic used in nickel plating (1). Source: European Union. (references) | |
| Alkali earth | Mining | One of a group of elements (Group II) forming divalent cations; esp.calcium, strontium, and barium, but also includes beryllium, magnesium, and radium. (references) | |
| Alkali feldspar | Mining | A. Those feldspars composed of mixtures or crystal solutions of potassium feldspar, KAlSi3 O8 , and sodium feldspar, NaAlSi3 O 8 , with little or no calcium feldspar, CaAl2 Si2 O 8 . b. The subgroup of the feldspar group including albite, anorthoclase, microcline, orthoclase, and sanidine. Syn:alkalic feldsparCF:plagioclase. (references) | |
| Alkali flat | Environment | 1: A level area or plain in an arid or semiarid region encrusted with alkali salts that become concentrated by evaporation and poor drainage. Cap. (Alkali Flat): An example of such terrain, approximately 25 miles south of the location in Amargosa Valley formerly known as Lathrop Wells along the Amargosa River. (references) | |
| 2: A level lake-like plain formed in low depressions where accumulated water evaporates depositing fine sediment and dissolved minerals which form a hard surface if mechanical sediments prevail or a crumbly powdered surface if efflorescent salts are abundant. (references) | |||
| Alkali garnet | Mining | A general term for members of the sodalite group that are closely relatedcrystallographically and chemically to the true garnets. (references) | |
| Alkali granite | Mining | A. A coarse-grained, plutonic rock carrying free quartz and alkali feldspar. (references) | |
| Alkali Lakes | Environment | Also referred to as “soda lakes;” characterized by high pH (³=pH 10) and a high concentration of salts. (references) | |
| Alkali lignin | Energy | Lignin obtained by acidification of an alkaline extract of wood. (references) | |
| Alkali metal | Geology | Any of the highly reactive metals (such as sodium or potassium) found in the first column of the periodic table; these metals act as bases. (references) | |
| Alkali metal | Mining | A metal in group IA of the periodic system; namely, lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, cesium, and francium. They form strong alkalinehydroxides; hence, the name. Syn:alkaline metal. (references) | |
| Alkali metals | Aerospace | A group of soft, very reactive elements including lithium, sodium and potassium. (references) | |
| Alkali sink | Geology | A land basin in which water evaporation produces high salt concentrations that may, or may not, support salt marsh vegetation. (references) | |
| Alkali soil | Aerospace | 1- A soil having a high degree of alkalinity (pH of 8.5 or higher), or having a high exchangeable sodium content (15% or more of the exchange capacity), or both; 2- A soil that contains enough alkali (sodium) to interfere with the growth of most crop plants. See also saline-alkali soil and sodic soil. (references) | |
| Alkali soil | Mining | 1: A saline soil having 15% or more exchangeable sodium. (references) | |
| 2: (no longer used in SSSA publications) (i) A soil with a pH of 8.5 or higher or with a exchangeable sodium ratio greater than 0.15. (ii) A soil that contains sufficient sodium to interfere with the growth of most crop plants. See also saline-sodic soil and sodic soil. (references) | |||
| Alkali subbentonite | Mining | A bentonite containing easily replaceable alkali bases but having original properties that are destroyed by acid treatment. (references) | |
| Black alkali | Mining | An old term for an alkali soil whose sodium tends to disperse organic matter and give a black color. Cf: white alkali. (references) | |
| Metals, Alkali | Health | Metals that constitute group Ia in the periodic table. They are the most strongly electropositive of the metals. (references) | |
| Protective alkali | Mining | In the cyanide process, the use of dissolved lime to maintain a slightly alkaline pulp, therefore ensuring that the cyanide salt retains its potency and does not acidify to hydrocyanic acid, which cannot dissolvegold or silver. See also:cyanide process. (references) | |
| White alkali | Mining | An older term for accumulation of salts with high levels of sodium that may develop as a crust. Cf: black alkali. (references) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | Top | ||
