corrosive agent; corrosive substance
Technical term for a chemical substance that corrodes or eats away materials, especially metals.
This corrosive agent has the property of dissolving metals.
Because a strong corrosive substance is used in the experiment, protective gloves are necessary.
腐食性 is the property of being corrosive (adjective), whereas 腐食剤 is the noun for the corrosive agent itself.
Compound of 腐食 (corrosion) and 剤 (agent, chemical). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the kanji composition transparently reflects the meaning.