permanganate of potash
- noun
- /pərˈmæŋɡəˌneɪt əv ˈpɒtæʃ/
- Archaic
:
permanganato de potasio
- The laboratory technician carefully measured out permanganate of potash for the oxidation experiment.
Examples
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Aluminum powder mixed with permanganate of potash.
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Permanganate of potash is often used as a permanganate of potash in water treatment processes.
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When mixed with water, permanganate of potash creates a dark purple solution that can stain clothing.
Synonyms
2
9.9
A dark purple chemical that kills germs on skin and in water
A dark purple chemical that can kill germs and is poisonous
Surface Forms
Morphology
permanganate + of + potash
The phrase denotes the permanganate that contains potassium (i.e., potassium permanganate), which is directly derivable from 'permanganate' (a permanganate compound) combined with 'potash' (a potassium compound) via the genitive 'of' construction. This chemical naming pattern is compositional and common across languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words would understand the MWE.
Etymology
Permanganate of potash comes from older chemistry names: potash was what people called 'potassium' salts made from wood ashes, and permanganate means a strong chemical that forms dark purple crystals. Because these purple crystals clean, kill germs, and change other substances, the name now refers to the strong, often poisonous, purple chemical used to disinfect and bleach.