noun
- a white alkaline substance (potassium carbonate) obtained from wood ashes, formerly used in making soap and glass
Usage: historical; chemistry
Examples
- Colonial Americans produced pearlash by burning wood and processing the ashes.
- Pearlash was an important export commodity in early American trade.
- The chemical formula for pearlash is K2CO3.
- Soap makers once relied on pearlash as a key ingredient.
- Glass manufacturers used pearlash to lower the melting point of silica.
- The production of pearlash helped establish America’s early chemical industry.