a. Chem. [f. supposed Gr. *στυφν-ός (a mistake for στρυφνός) astringent + -IC.
The name (G. styphninsāure) was given by the discoverers, Böttger and Will, Liebig’s Ann. der Chemie, 1846, LVIII. 269.]
Styphnic acid, a dibasic astringent acid obtained by the action of nitric acid on asafœtida and other gum resins. Also called oxypicric acid.
1850. Fownes, Chem. (ed. 3), 524. To these may be added the styphnic acid recently described by MM. Boettger and Will.
