Lixivation

Lixivation (Lat. lix, 'ashes'), a term employed in chemistry to denote the process of washing or steeping certain substances in a fluid, for the purpose of dissolving a portion of their ingredients, and so separating them from the insoluble residue. Thus, wood-ash is lixiviated with water to dissolve out the carbonates of soda and potash from the insoluble parts. The solution thus obtained is called a lixivium, or ley.