Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
vitriol
Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics
Images
Zinc Sulfate blue vitriol
Quick Facts
Related Topics:
sulfuric acid
sulfate
See all related content
Britannica AI Icon
Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what youā€™ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Britannica Websites
Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
Zinc Sulfate
Zinc Sulfate Zinc sulfate (white vitriol) crystals.

vitriol

chemical compound
Written and fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
History

vitriol, any of certain hydrated sulfates or sulfuric acid. Most of the vitriols have important and varied industrial uses. Blue, or roman, vitriol is cupric sulfate; green vitriolā€”also called copperas, a name formerly applied to all the vitriolsā€”is ferrous sulfate. White vitriol is zinc sulfate; red, or rose, vitriol is cobalt sulfate; and uranvitriol is a native uranium sulfate. Oil of vitriol is concentrated sulfuric acid (q.v.).

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.