Glauber's salt

noun Glau·ber's salt \ˈglau̇-bər(z)-\

Definition of GLAUBER'S SALT

: a colorless crystalline sulfate of sodium Na₂SO₄·10H₂O used especially in dyeing, as a cathartic, and in solar energy systems —sometimes used in plural —called also Glauber salt

Origin of GLAUBER'S SALT

Johann R. Glauber †1668 German chemist

First Known Use: 1736

Medical Dictionary

Glauber's salt

noun Glau·ber's salt \ˌglau̇-bər(z)-\

Medical Definition of GLAUBER'S SALT

: a colorless crystalline sodium sulfate Na₂SO₄·10H₂O used especially in dyeing, as a cathartic, and in solar energy systems—sometimes used in plural

Biographical Note for GLAUBER'S SALT

Glauber, Johann Rudolf (1604–1670), German physician and chemist. Glauber was both an alchemist and a serious chemist. As an alchemist he was a follower of Paracelsus and dealt extensively in secret chemicals and medicinals. As a chemist he made several important contributions. In 1648 he first prepared hydrochloric acid from common salt and sulfuric acid. Substituting potassium nitrate for common salt, he observed the formation of nitric acid. Of the various salts he prepared, the most important is the one now known as Glauber's salt, which he first made in 1656. His observations on dyeing are also noteworthy.