Vitriol
In chemistry, a vitriol is a compound containing a sulfate, such as vitriol of lead, plumbous sulfate. The word vitriol comes from the Latin word vitriolum, meaning "glassy", as the crystals of several metallic sulfates resemble pieces of colored glass.
Vitriol with no further qualification often means sulfuric acid, which also resembles glass when concentrated to its viscous form. The term vitriolic in the sense of "harshly condemnatory" is derived from the pungent and corrosive nature of this substance.
| Vitriol | Chemical | Comment | Formula |
| Black vitriol | a mixture | SO4·7H2O | |
| Blue vitriol/Vitriol of Cyprus/Roman vitriol | copper sulfate | pentahydrate | CuSO4·5H2O |
| Green vitriol/Copperas | iron sulfate | heptahydrate | FeSO4·7H2O |
| Oil of vitriol/Spirit of vitriol | sulfuric acid | acid | H2SO4 |
| Red vitriol | cobalt sulfate | heptahydrate | CoSO4·7H2O |
| Sweet oil of vitriol | diethyl ether | not a sulfate | CH3-CH2-O-CH2-CH3 |
| Vitriol of argile/Vitriol of clay | aluminium sulfate | alum | Al23 |
| Vitriol of Mars | iron sulfate | Ferric sulfate | Fe23 |
| White vitriol | zinc sulfate | heptahydrate | ZnSO4·7H2O |