aqua regia
[ ree-jee-uh ]
/ ˈri dʒi ə /
noun Chemistry.
a yellow, fuming liquid composed of one part nitric acid and three to four parts hydrochloric acid: used chiefly to dissolve metals as gold, platinum, or the like.
Also called
nitrohydrochloric acid.
Origin of aqua regia
1600–10; < New Latin: literally, royal water
Words nearby aqua regia
aqtöbe,
aqua,
aqua ammoniae,
aqua fortis,
aqua pura,
aqua regia,
aqua vitae,
aqua-,
aqua-lung,
aquacade,
aquaceutical
British Dictionary definitions for aqua regia
aqua regia
/ (ˈriːdʒɪə) /
noun
a yellow fuming corrosive mixture of one part nitric acid and three to four parts hydrochloric acid, used in metallurgy for dissolving metals, including gold
Also called: nitrohydrochloric acid
Word Origin for aqua regia
C17: from New Latin: royal water; referring to its use in dissolving gold, the royal metal
Scientific definitions for aqua regia
aqua regia
[ rē′jē-ə, rē′jə ]
A corrosive, fuming, volatile mixture of hydrochloric and nitric acids. Aqua regia is used for testing metals and dissolving platinum and gold.