IUPAC name: Sulfuric acid
CAS Number: 7664-93-9
EC Number: 231-639-5
Chemical formula: H2SO4
Molar mass: 98.079 g
Sulfuric acid (American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphuric acid (Commonwealth spelling), known in antiquity as oil of vitriol, is a mineral acid composed of the elements sulfur, oxygen and hydrogen, with the molecular formula H2SO4.
Sulfuric acid is a colorless, odorless and viscous liquid that is miscible with water.
Pure sulfuric acid does not exist naturally on Earth due to its strong affinity to water vapor; for this reason, it is hygroscopic and readily absorbs water vapor from the air.
Concentrated sulfuric acid is highly corrosive towards other materials, from rocks to metals, since it is an oxidant with powerful dehydrating properties.
Phosphorus pentoxide is a notable exception in that it is not dehydrated by sulfuric acid, but to the contrary dehydrates sulfuric acid to sulfur trioxide.
Upon addition of sulfuric acid to water, a considerable amount of heat is released; thus the reverse procedure of adding water to the acid should not be performed since the heat released may boil the solution, spraying droplets of hot acid during the process.
Upon contact with body tissue, sulfuric acid can cause severe acidic chemical burns and even secondary thermal burns due to dehydration.
Dilute sulfuric acid is substantially less hazardous without the oxidative and dehydrating properties; however, it should still be handled with care for its acidity.
Sulfuric acid is a very important commodity chemical, and a nation's sulfuric acid production is a good indicator of its industrial strength.
Sulfuric acid is widely produced with different methods, such as contact process, wet sulfuric acid process, lead chamber process and some other methods.
Sulfuric acid is also a key substance in the chemical industry. Sulfuric acid is most commonly used in fertilizer manufacture, but is also important in mineral processing, oil refining, wastewater processing, and chemical synthesis.
Sulfuric acid has a wide range of end applications including in domestic acidic drain cleaners, as an electrolyte in lead-acid batteries, in dehydrating a compound, and in various cleaning agents. Sulfuric acid can be obtained by dissolving sulfur trioxide in water.
Grades of sulfuric acid
Although nearly 100% sulfuric acid solutions can be made, the subsequent loss of SO3 at the boiling point brings the concentration to 98.3% acid.
The 98.3% grade is more stable in storage, and is the usual form of what is described as "concentrated sulfuric acid".
Other concentrations are used for different purposes.
Some common concentrations are:
"Chamber acid" and "tower acid" were the two concentrations of sulfuric acid produced by the lead chamber process, chamber acid being the acid produced in the lead chamber itself (<70% to avoid contamination with nitrosylsulfuric acid) and tower acid being the acid recovered from the bottom of the Glover tower.
They are now obsolete as commercial concentrations of sulfuric acid, although they may be prepared in the laboratory from concentrated sulfuric acid if needed.
In particular, "10 M" sulfuric acid (the modern equivalent of chamber acid, used in many titrations), is prepared by slowly adding 98% sulfuric acid to an equal volume of water, with good stirring: the temperature of the mixture can rise to 80 °C (176 °F) or higher.
Pure sulfuric acid:
Pure sulfuric acid is a colorless oily liquid, and has a vapor pressure of <0.001 mmHg at 25 °C and 1 mmHg at 145.8 °C, and 98% sulfuric acid has a <1 mmHg vapor pressure at 40 °C.
In the solid state, sulfuric acid is a molecular solid that forms monoclinic crystals with nearly trigonal lattice parameters.
The structure consists of layers parallel to the (010) plane, in which each molecule is connected by hydrogen bonds to two others.
Hydrates H2SO4·nH2O are known for n = 1, 2, 3, 4, 6.5, and 8, although most intermediate hydrates are stable against disproportionation.
Polarity and conductivity
Anhydrous H2SO4 is a very polar liquid, having a dielectric constant of around 100. Sulfuric acid has a high electrical conductivity, caused by dissociation through protonating itself, a process known as autoprotolysis.
The equilibrium constant for the autoprotolysis is
Kap ([H3SO4]+[HSO4]−) (25 °C) = 2.7×10−4
The comparable equilibrium constant for water, Kw is 10−14, a factor of 1010 (10 billion) smaller.
In spite of the viscosity of the acid, the effective conductivities of the H3SO4 and HSO4
ions are high due to an intramolecular proton-switch mechanism (analogous to the Grotthuss mechanism in water), making sulfuric acid a good conductor of electricity. Sulfuric acid is also an excellent solvent for many reactions.
Chemical properties:
Reaction with water and dehydrating property
Drops of concentrated sulfuric acid rapidly decompose a piece of cotton towel by dehydration.
An experiment that demonstrates the dehydration properties of concentrated sulfuric acid.
When concentrated sulfuric acid comes into contact with sucrose, slow carbonification of the sucrose takes place.
The reaction is accompanied by the evolution of gaseous products that contribute to the formation of the foamy carbon pillar that rises above the beaker.
Because the hydration reaction of sulfuric acid is highly exothermic, dilution should always be performed by adding the acid to the water rather than the water to the acid.
Because the reaction is in an equilibrium that favors the rapid protonation of water, addition of acid to the water ensures that the acid is the limiting reagent.
HSO4 is the bisulfate anion and SO4 is the sulfate anion.
Ka1 and Ka2 are the acid dissociation constants.
Because the hydration of sulfuric acid is thermodynamically favorable, its affinity for water is quite strong; therefore, sulfuric acid is an excellent dehydrating agent.
Concentrated sulfuric acid has a very powerful dehydrating property, removing water (H2O) from other chemical compounds including sugar and other carbohydrates and producing carbon, heat, and steam.
In the laboratory, this is often demonstrated by mixing table sugar (sucrose) into sulfuric acid.
The sugar changes from white to dark brown and then to black as carbon is formed.
A rigid column of black, porous carbon will emerge as well.
The carbon will smell strongly of caramel due to the heat generated.
Similarly, mixing starch into concentrated sulfuric acid will give elemental carbon and water as absorbed by the sulfuric acid (which becomes slightly diluted).
The effect of this can be seen when concentrated sulfuric acid is spilled on paper, which is composed of cellulose; the cellulose reacts to give a burnt appearance, the carbon appears much as soot would in a fire.
Although less dramatic, the action of the acid on cotton, even in diluted form, will destroy the fabric.
Occurrence
Rio Tinto with its highly acidic water
Pure sulfuric acid is not encountered naturally on Earth in anhydrous form, due to its great affinity for water.
Dilute sulfuric acid is a constituent of acid rain, which is formed by atmospheric oxidation of sulfur dioxide in the presence of water – i.e. oxidation of sulfurous acid.
When sulfur-containing fuels such as coal or oil are burned, sulfur dioxide is the main byproduct (besides the chief products carbon oxides and water).
Sulfuric acid is formed naturally by the oxidation of sulfide minerals, such as iron sulfide.
The resulting water can be highly acidic and is called acid mine drainage (AMD) or acid rock drainage (ARD).
This acidic water is capable of dissolving metals present in sulfide ores, which results in brightly colored, toxic solutions.
Manufacture
Sulfuric acid is produced from sulfur, oxygen and water via the conventional contact process (DCDA) or the wet sulfuric acid process (WSA).
Contact process
In the first step, sulfur is burned to produce sulfur dioxide.
S(s) + O2 → SO2
The sulfur dioxide is oxidized to sulfur trioxide by oxygen in the presence of a vanadium(V) oxide catalyst. This reaction is reversible and the formation of the sulfur trioxide is exothermic.
2 SO2 + O2 ⇌ 2 SO3
The sulfur trioxide is absorbed into 97–98% H2SO4 to form oleum (H2S2O7), also known as fuming sulfuric acid and pyrosulphuric acid. The oleum is then diluted with water to form concentrated sulfuric acid.
H2SO4 + SO3 → H2S2O7
H2S2O7 + H2O → 2 H2SO4
Directly dissolving SO3 in water is not practiced.
Wet sulfuric acid process
In the first step, sulfur is burned to produce sulfur dioxide:
S + O2 → SO2 (−297 kJ/mol)
or, alternatively, hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gas is incinerated to SO2 gas:
2 H2S + 3 O2 → 2 H2O + 2 SO2 (−1036 kJ/mol)
The sulfur dioxide then oxidized to sulfur trioxide using oxygen with vanadium(V) oxide as catalyst.
2 SO2 + O2 ⇌ 2 SO3 (−198 kJ/mol) (reaction is reversible)
The sulfur trioxide is hydrated into sulfuric acid H2SO4:
SO3 + H2O → H2SO4(g) (−101 kJ/mol)
The last step is the condensation of the sulfuric acid to liquid 97–98% H2SO4:
H2SO4(g) → H2SO4(l) (−69 kJ/mol)
Other methods
A method that is the less well-known is the metabisulfite method, in which metabisulfite is placed at the bottom of a beaker and 12.6 molar concentration hydrochloric acid is added. The resulting gas is bubbled through nitric acid, which will release brown/red vapors of nitrogen dioxide as the reaction proceeds. The completion of the reaction is indicated by the ceasing of the fumes. This method does not produce an inseparable mist, which is quite convenient.
3 SO2 + 2 HNO3 + 2 H2O → 3 H2SO4 + 2 NO
Burning sulfur together with saltpeter (potassium nitrate, KNO3), in the presence of steam, has been used historically. As saltpeter decomposes, it oxidizes the sulfur to SO3, which combines with water to produce sulfuric acid.
Alternatively, dissolving sulfur dioxide in an aqueous solution of an oxidizing metal salt such as copper(II) or iron(III) chloride:
2 FeCl3 + 2 H2O + SO2 → 2 FeCl2 + H2SO4 + 2 HCl
2 CuCl2 + 2 H2O + SO2 → 2 CuCl + H2SO4 + 2 HCl
Two less well-known laboratory methods of producing sulfuric acid, albeit in dilute form and requiring some extra effort in purification. A solution of copper(II) sulfate can be electrolyzed with a copper cathode and platinum/graphite anode to give spongy copper at cathode and evolution of oxygen gas at the anode, the solution of dilute sulfuric acid indicates completion of the reaction when it turns from blue to clear (production of hydrogen at cathode is another sign):
2 CuSO4 + 2 H2O → 2 Cu + 2 H2SO4 + O2
More costly, dangerous, and troublesome yet novel is the electrobromine method, which employs a mixture of sulfur, water, and hydrobromic acid as the electrolytic solution. The sulfur is pushed to bottom of container under the acid solution. Then the copper cathode and platinum/graphite anode are used with the cathode near the surface and the anode is positioned at the bottom of the electrolyte to apply the current. This may take longer and emits toxic bromine/sulfur bromide vapors, but the reactant acid is recyclable. Overall, only the sulfur and water are converted to sulfuric acid and hydrogen (omitting losses of acid as vapors):
2 HBr → H2 + Br2 (electrolysis of aqueous hydrogen bromide) Br2 + Br ↔ Br3 (initial tribromide production, eventually reverses as Br− depletes) 2S + Br2 → S2Br2 (bromine reacts with sulfur to form disulfur dibromide) S2Br2 + 8 H2O + 5 Br2 → 2 H2SO4 + 12 HBr (oxidation and hydration of disulfur dibromide) Prior to 1900, most sulfuric acid was manufactured by the lead chamber process.[29] As late as 1940, up to 50% of sulfuric acid manufactured in the United States was produced by chamber process plants.
In the early to mid 19th century "vitriol" plants existed, among other places, in Prestonpans in Scotland, Shropshire and the Lagan Valley in County Antrim Ireland, where it was used as a bleach for linen.
Early bleaching of linen was done using lactic acid from sour milk but this was a slow process and the use of vitriol sped up the bleaching process.
Uses:
Sulfuric acid production in 2000
Sulfuric acid is a very important commodity chemical, and indeed, a nation's sulfuric acid production is a good indicator of its industrial strength.
World production in the year 2004 was about 180 million tonnes, with the following geographic distribution: Asia 35%, North America (including Mexico) 24%, Africa 11%, Western Europe 10%, Eastern Europe and Russia 10%, Australia and Oceania 7%, South America 7%.
Most of this amount (≈60%) is consumed for fertilizers, particularly superphosphates, ammonium phosphate and ammonium sulfates. About 20% is used in chemical industry for production of detergents, synthetic resins, dyestuffs, pharmaceuticals, petroleum catalysts, insecticides and antifreeze, as well as in various processes such as oil well acidicizing, aluminium reduction, paper sizing, and water treatment.
About 6% of uses are related to pigments and include paints, enamels, printing inks, coated fabrics and paper, while the rest is dispersed into a multitude of applications such as production of explosives, cellophane, acetate and viscose textiles, lubricants, non-ferrous metals, and batteries.
Industrial production of chemicals
The major use for sulfuric acid is in the "wet method" for the production of phosphoric acid, used for manufacture of phosphate fertilizers.
In this method, phosphate rock is used, and more than 100 million tonnes are processed annually.
This raw material is shown below as fluorapatite, though the exact composition may vary.
This is treated with 93% sulfuric acid to produce calcium sulfate, hydrogen fluoride (HF) and phosphoric acid. The HF is removed as hydrofluoric acid. The overall process can be represented as:
Ca5(PO4)3F (fluorapatite) + 5 H2SO4 + 10 H2O → 5 CaSO4·2H2O (calcium sulfate dihydrate) + HF + 3H3PO4
Ammonium sulfate, an important nitrogen fertilizer, is most commonly produced as a byproduct from coking plants supplying the iron and steel making plants.
Reacting the ammonia produced in the thermal decomposition of coal with waste sulfuric acid allows the ammonia to be crystallized out as a salt (often brown because of iron contamination) and sold into the agro-chemicals industry.
Another important use for sulfuric acid is for the manufacture of aluminium sulfate, also known as paper maker's alum.
This can react with small amounts of soap on paper pulp fibers to give gelatinous aluminium carboxylates, which help to coagulate the pulp fibers into a hard paper surface.
Sulfuric acid is also used for making aluminium hydroxide, which is used at water treatment plants to filter out impurities, as well as to improve the taste of the water.
Aluminium sulfate is made by reacting bauxite with sulfuric acid:
2 AlO(OH) + 3 H2SO4 → Al2(SO4)3 + 4 H2O
Sulfuric acid is also important in the manufacture of dyestuffs solutions.
Sulfur–iodine cycle
The sulfur–iodine cycle is a series of thermo-chemical processes possibly usable to produce hydrogen from water. Sulfuric acid consists of three chemical reactions whose net reactant is water and whose net products are hydrogen and oxygen.
2 I2 + 2 SO2 + 4 H2O → 4 HI + 2 H2SO4 (120 °C, Bunsen reaction)
2 H2SO4 → 2 SO2 + 2 H2O + O2 (830 °C)
4 HI → 2 I2 + 2 H2 (320 °C)
The compounds of sulfur and iodine are recovered and reused, hence the consideration of the process as a cycle.
This process is endothermic and must occur at high temperatures, so energy in the form of heat has to be supplied.
The sulfur–iodine cycle has been proposed as a way to supply hydrogen for a hydrogen-based economy. Sulfuric acid is an alternative to electrolysis, and does not require hydrocarbons like current methods of steam reforming. But note that all of the available energy in the hydrogen so produced is supplied by the heat used to make it.
The sulfur–iodine cycle is currently being researched as a feasible method of obtaining hydrogen, but the concentrated, corrosive acid at high temperatures poses currently insurmountable safety hazards if the process were built on a large scale.
Hybrid sulfur cycle
The hybrid sulfur cycle (HyS) is a two-step water splitting process intended to be used for hydrogen production.
Based on sulfur oxidation and reduction, it is classified as a hybrid thermochemical cycle because it uses an electrochemical (instead of a thermochemical) reaction for one of the two steps.
The remaining thermochemical step is shared with the sulfur-iodine cycle.
Industrial cleaning agent
Sulfuric acid is used in large quantities by the iron and steelmaking industry to remove oxidation, rust, and scaling from rolled sheet and billets prior to sale to the automobile and major appliances industry.
Used acid is often recycled using a spent acid regeneration (SAR) plant.
These plants combust spent acid[clarification needed] with natural gas, refinery gas, fuel oil or other fuel sources.
This combustion process produces gaseous sulfur dioxide (SO2) and sulfur trioxide (SO3) which are then used to manufacture "new" sulfuric acid. SAR plants are common additions to metal smelting plants, oil refineries, and other industries where sulfuric acid is consumed in bulk, as operating a SAR plant is much cheaper than the recurring costs of spent acid disposal and new acid purchases.
Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) can be added to sulfuric acid to produce piranha solution, a powerful but very toxic cleaning solution with which substrate surfaces can be cleaned. Piranha solution is typically used in the microelectronics industry, and also in laboratory settings to clean glassware.
Catalyst
Sulfuric acid is used for a variety of other purposes in the chemical industry.
For example, it is the usual acid catalyst for the conversion of cyclohexanone oxime to caprolactam, used for making nylon.
Sulfuric acid is used for making hydrochloric acid from salt via the Mannheim process.
Much H2SO4 is used in petroleum refining, for example as a catalyst for the reaction of isobutane with isobutylene to give isooctane, a compound that raises the octane rating of gasoline (petrol).
Sulfuric acid is also often used as a dehydrating or oxidizing agent in industrial reactions, such as the dehydration of various sugars to form solid carbon.
Electrolyte
Acidic drain cleaners usually contain sulfuric acid at a high concentration which turns a piece of pH paper red and chars it instantly, demonstrating both the strong acidic nature and dehydrating property.
Sulfuric acid acts as the electrolyte in lead–acid batteries (lead-acid accumulator):
At anode:
Pb + SO4 ⇌ PbSO4 + 2 e−
At cathode:
PbO2 + 4 H+ + SO4 + 2 e− ⇌ PbSO4 + 2 H2O
An acidic drain cleaner can be used to dissolve grease, hair and even tissue paper inside water pipes.
Overall:
Pb + PbO2 + 4 H+ + 2 SO4 ⇌ 2 PbSO4 + 2 H2O
Domestic uses
Sulfuric acid at high concentrations is frequently the major ingredient in acidic drain cleaners which are used to remove grease, hair, tissue paper, etc.
Similar to their alkaline versions, such drain openers can dissolve fats and proteins via hydrolysis.
Moreover, as concentrated sulfuric acid has a strong dehydrating property, it can remove tissue paper via dehydrating process as well.
Since the acid may react with water vigorously, such acidic drain openers should be added slowly into the pipe to be cleaned.
History
The study of vitriol, a category of glassy minerals from which the acid can be derived, began in ancient times. Sumerians had a list of types of vitriol that they classified according to the substances' color.
Some of the earliest discussions on the origin and properties of vitriol is in the works of the Greek physician Dioscorides (first century AD) and the Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder (23–79 AD).
Galen also discussed its medical use.
Metallurgical uses for vitriolic substances were recorded in the Hellenistic alchemical works of Zosimos of Panopolis, in the treatise Phisica et Mystica, and the Leyden papyrus X.
Medieval Islamic chemists like Jābir ibn Ḥayyān (died c. 806 – c. 816 AD, known in Latin as Geber), Abū Bakr al-Rāzī (865 – 925 AD, known in Latin as Rhazes), Ibn Sina (980 – 1037 AD, known in Latin as Avicenna), and Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm al-Watwat (1234 – 1318 AD) included vitriol in their mineral classification lists.[36]
Sulfuric acid was called "oil of vitriol" by medieval European alchemists because it was prepared by roasting "green vitriol" (iron(II) sulfate) in an iron retort.
The first vague allusions to it appear in the works of Vincent of Beauvais, in the Compositum de Compositis ascribed to Saint Albertus Magnus, and in pseudo-Geber's Summa perfectionis (all thirteenth century AD).
In the seventeenth century, the German-Dutch chemist Johann Glauber prepared sulfuric acid by burning sulfur together with saltpeter (potassium nitrate, KNO3), in the presence of steam.
As saltpeter decomposes, it oxidizes the sulfur to SO3, which combines with water to produce sulfuric acid.
In 1736, Joshua Ward, a London pharmacist, used this method to begin the first large-scale production of sulfuric acid.
In 1746 in Birmingham, John Roebuck adapted this method to produce sulfuric acid in lead-lined chambers, which were stronger, less expensive, and could be made larger than the previously used glass containers.
This process allowed the effective industrialization of sulfuric acid production.
After several refinements, this method, called the lead chamber process or "chamber process", remained the standard for sulfuric acid production for almost two centuries.
Sulfuric acid created by John Roebuck's process approached a 65% concentration.
Later refinements to the lead chamber process by French chemist Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac and British chemist John Glover improved concentration to 78%. However, the manufacture of some dyes and other chemical processes require a more concentrated product.
Throughout the 18th century, this could only be made by dry distilling minerals in a technique similar to the original alchemical processes. Pyrite (iron disulfide, FeS2) was heated in air to yield iron(II) sulfate, FeSO4, which was oxidized by further heating in air to form iron(III) sulfate, Fe2(SO4)3, which, when heated to 480 °C, decomposed to iron(III) oxide and sulfur trioxide, which could be passed through water to yield sulfuric acid in any concentration.
However, the expense of this process prevented the large-scale use of concentrated sulfuric acid.
In 1831, British vinegar merchant Peregrine Phillips patented the contact process, which was a far more economical process for producing sulfur trioxide and concentrated sulfuric acid.
Today, nearly all of the world's sulfuric acid is produced using this method.
Sulfuric acid or sulphuric acid, known in antiquity as oil of vitriol, is a mineral acid composed of the elements sulfur, oxygen and hydrogen, with the molecular formula H2SO4.
KEYWORDS:
7664-93-9, 231-639-5, Oil of vitriol, Dihydrogen sulfate, Mattling acid, Battery acid, Dipping acid, Acide sulfurique, Electrolyte acid, Acidum sulfuricum
Appearance: Colorless liquid
Odor: Odorless
Density: 1.8302 g/cm3, liquid
Melting point: 10.31°C
Boiling point: 337°C
Solubility in water: miscible, exothermic
Vapor pressure: 0.001 mmHg (20 °C)
Acidity (pKa): -2.8, 1.99
Conjugate base: Bisulfate
Viscosity: 26.7 cP (20 °C)
XLogP3-AA: -1.4 Computed by XLogP3 3.0
Hydrogen Bond Donor Count: 2
Hydrogen Bond Acceptor Count: 4
Rotatable Bond Count: 0
Exact Mass: 97.96737971
Monoisotopic Mass: 97.96737971
Topological Polar Surface Area: 83 Ų
Heavy Atom Count: 5
Complexity: 81.3
Isotope Atom Count: 0
Defined Atom Stereocenter Count: 0
Undefined Atom Stereocenter Count: 0
Defined Bond Stereocenter Count: 0
Undefined Bond Stereocenter Count: 0
Covalently-Bonded Unit Count: 1
Compound Is Canonicalized: Yes
About Sulfuric acid
Helpful information
Sulfuric acid is registered under the REACH Regulation and is manufactured in and / or imported to the European Economic Area, at ≥ 10 000 000 tonnes per annum.
Sulfuric acid is used by consumers, in articles, by professional workers (widespread uses), in formulation or re-packing, at industrial sites and in manufacturing.
Consumer Uses
Sulfuric acid is used in the following products: pH regulators and water treatment products, washing & cleaning products, metal surface treatment products, electrolytes for batteries, laboratory chemicals, non-metal-surface treatment products and extraction agents.
Release to the environment of Sulfuric acid can occur from industrial use: as processing aid.
Other release to the environment of Sulfuric acid is likely to occur from: indoor use (e.g. machine wash liquids/detergents, automotive care products, paints and coating or adhesives, fragrances and air fresheners), outdoor use in close systems with minimal release (e.g. hydraulic liquids in automotive suspension, lubricants in motor oil and break fluids) and outdoor use.
Article service life
Release to the environment of Sulfuric acid can occur from industrial use: as processing aid, as an intermediate step in further manufacturing of another substance (use of intermediates), formulation of mixtures, manufacturing of the substance and in the production of articles.
Other release to the environment of Sulfuric acid is likely to occur from: outdoor use in close systems with minimal release (e.g. hydraulic liquids in automotive suspension, lubricants in motor oil and break fluids), indoor use (e.g. machine wash liquids/detergents, automotive care products, paints and coating or adhesives, fragrances and air fresheners) and indoor use in long-life materials with low release rate (e.g. flooring, furniture, toys, construction materials, curtains, foot-wear, leather products, paper and cardboard products, electronic equipment).
Sulfuric acid can be found in complex articles, with no release intended: electrical batteries and accumulators.
Widespread uses by professional workers
Sulfuric acid is used in the following products: laboratory chemicals, washing & cleaning products, pH regulators and water treatment products and metal surface treatment products.
Sulfuric acid is used in the following areas: scientific research and development, mining and municipal supply (e.g. electricity, steam, gas, water) and sewage treatment.
Sulfuric acid is used for the manufacture of: chemicals, metals, fabricated metal products, food products, pulp, paper and paper products, electrical, electronic and optical equipment and machinery and vehicles.
Release to the environment of Sulfuric acid can occur from industrial use: as processing aid.
Other release to the environment of Sulfuric acid is likely to occur from: indoor use (e.g. machine wash liquids/detergents, automotive care products, paints and coating or adhesives, fragrances and air fresheners) and outdoor use in close systems with minimal release (e.g. hydraulic liquids in automotive suspension, lubricants in motor oil and break fluids).
Formulation or re-packing
Sulfuric acid is used in the following products: pH regulators and water treatment products, metal surface treatment products, non-metal-surface treatment products, polymers and laboratory chemicals.
Release to the environment of Sulfuric acid can occur from industrial use: formulation of mixtures and in the production of articles.
Uses at industrial sites
Sulfuric acid is used in the following products: pH regulators and water treatment products, metal surface treatment products, non-metal-surface treatment products, extraction agents and washing & cleaning products.
Sulfuric acid has an industrial use resulting in manufacture of another substance (use of intermediates).
Sulfuric acid is used in the following areas: mining.
Sulfuric acid is used for the manufacture of: chemicals, metals, pulp, paper and paper products, food products and fabricated metal products.
Release to the environment of Sulfuric acid can occur from industrial use: as processing aid, in the production of articles, in processing aids at industrial sites, as an intermediate step in further manufacturing of another substance (use of intermediates), of substances in closed systems with minimal release and formulation of mixtures.
Other release to the environment of Sulfuric acid is likely to occur from: indoor use (e.g. machine wash liquids/detergents, automotive care products, paints and coating or adhesives, fragrances and air fresheners).
Sulfuric acid is a colorless oily liquid. Sulfuric acid is soluble in water with release of heat.
Sulfuric acid is corrosive to metals and tissue.
Sulfuric acid will char wood and most other organic matter on contact, but is unlikely to cause a fire.
Density 15 lb / gal.
Long term exposure to low concentrations or short term exposure to high concentrations can result in adverse health effects from inhalation.
Sulfuric acid is used to make fertilizers and other chemicals, in petroleum refining, in iron and steel production, and for many other uses.
Rate of onset: Immediate Persistence: Hours, days Odor threshold: Source/use/other hazard: Battery/dyes/paper/glue/metals industries; volcanic gas; toxic fumes when heated.
Sulfuric acid, sulfuric also spelled sulphuric (H2SO4), also called oil of vitriol, or hydrogen sulfate, dense, colourless, oily, corrosive liquid; one of the most commercially important of all chemicals.
Sulfuric acid is prepared industrially by the reaction of water with sulfur trioxide (see sulfur oxide), which in turn is made by chemical combination of sulfur dioxide and oxygen either by the contact process or the chamber process.
In various concentrations the acid is used in the manufacture of fertilizers, pigments, dyes, drugs, explosives, detergents, and inorganic salts and acids, as well as in petroleum refining and metallurgical processes.
In one of its most familiar applications, sulfuric acid serves as the electrolyte in lead–acid storage batteries.
Pure sulfuric acid has a specific gravity of 1.830 at 25 °C (77 °F); it freezes at 10.37 °C (50.7 °F).
When heated, the pure acid partially decomposes into water and sulfur trioxide; the latter escapes as a vapour until the concentration of the acid falls to 98.3 percent.
This mixture of sulfuric acid and water boils at a constant temperature of 338 °C (640 °F) at one atmosphere pressure.
Sulfuric acid is commonly supplied at concentrations of 78, 93, or 98 percent.
Due to its affinity for water, pure anhydrous sulfuric acid does not exist in nature.
Volcanic activity can result in the production of sulfuric acid, depending on the emissions associated with specific volcanoes, and sulfuric acid aerosols from an eruption can persist in the stratosphere for many years.
These aerosols can then reform into sulfur dioxide (SO2), a constituent of acid rain, though volcanic activity is a relatively minor contributor to acid rainfall.
Sulfuric acid is a very strong acid; in aqueous solutions it ionizes completely to form hydronium ions (H3O+) and hydrogen sulfate ions (HSO4−).
In dilute solutions the hydrogen sulfate ions also dissociate, forming more hydronium ions and sulfate ions (SO42−).
In addition to being an oxidizing agent, reacting readily at high temperatures with many metals, carbon, sulfur, and other substances, concentrated sulfuric acid is also a strong dehydrating agent, combining violently with water; in this capacity, it chars many organic materials, such as wood, paper, or sugar, leaving a carbonaceous residue.
The term fuming sulfuric acid, or oleum, is applied to solutions of sulfur trioxide in 100 percent sulfuric acid; these solutions, commonly containing 20, 40, or 65 percent sulfur trioxide, are used for the preparation of organic chemicals.
Sulfuric acid is also known as Mattling acid or Oil of vitriol. Sulfuric acid has a strong acidic nature and is corrosive. At higher concentrations, it acts as an oxidizing agent and dehydrating agent. Sulfuric acid is a syrupy liquid which is odourless and has no colour. Sulfuric acid is water-soluble and releases heat when dissolved in water. Sulfuric acid is widely used in the manufacturing of fertilizers. Sulfuric acid is also used in chemical synthesis and wastewater processes.
Anhydrous sulfuric acid has a dielectric constant of around 100 and is a very polar liquid.
Sulfuric acid is perhaps the most important heavy industrial chemical, with large-scale uses in a wide range of industries.
Uses of Sulfuric Acid
Sulfuric acid is used in making fertilizers
Sulfuric acid is used in the production of steel and iron
Sulfuric acid is used in chemical manufacturing industries
Sulfuric acid is used in petroleum refining
Sulfuric acid is used to produce phosphoric acid
Sulfuric acid used as a cleaning agent in industries to remove the rust from steel and iron
Sulfuric acid is used as a catalyst to convert cyclohexanone oxime to caprolactam used to make nylon
Sulfuric acid is used in lead-acid batteries as an electrolyte
Sulfuric acid is used in making ammonium sulfate
Sulfuric acid is used in storage batteries
Sulfuric acid or sulphuric acid or hydrogen sulfate (chemical formula H2SO4) is a commercially important dense, colorless, oily, corrosive liquid.
Sulfuric acid was called oil of vitriol because it was prepared by roasting green vitriols or iron(II) sulfate.
Sulfuric acid is a strong dibasic acid that uses largely in fertilizer production plants for fertilizer production.
Commercially, it is manufactured by the contact process.
Oleum or fuming sulfuric acid gets by dissolving sulfur trioxide (SO3) gases or vapors in concentrated H2SO4 solution.
In chemistry laboratories, it is always diluted by slowly pouring water with stirring.
Sulfuric acid is a very strong, diprotic acid.
Sulfuric acid is hygroscopic and readily absorbs moisture from air.
Sulfuric acid is a powerful oxidizing agent and reacts with many metals at high temperatures.
Concentrated H2SO4 is also a strong dehydrating agent.
Addition of water to concentrated sulfuric acid is a very exothermic reaction and can lead to explosions.
Sulfuric acid (H2SO4) contains elements sulfur, oxygen, and hydrogen.
Sulfuric acid is known as oil of vitriol or hydrogen sulphate.
Sulfuric acid is one of the most important chemicals from the commercial point of view.
The reaction of water and sulfur trioxide results as product sulfuric acid.
The sulfur trioxide is made by the chemical combination of sulfur dioxide and oxygen or chamber process.
In nature, pure sulfuric acid does not exist due to its strong affinity to water.
Sulfuric acid is supplied at different concentrations for different applications.
The sulfuric acid molecular formula is H2SO4.
Sulfuric acid has one atom of sulfur, four oxygen atoms attached to the sulfur atom and two hydrogen atoms attached with two oxygen atoms.
Two oxygens are attached to the sulfur by a double bond, and two hydroxyl groups are attached by a single bond.
Sulfuric acid is an oxoacid of sulfur.
According to the VSEPR Theory, The structure is arranged in such a way that there is minimum repulsion between lone pairs and bond pairs.
Sulfuric acid uses
Some of the sulfuric acid uses are given below.
Fertilisers: Sulfuric acid is used in huge amounts to make phosphoric acid, which is used for the preparation of phosphate fertilisers.
Pharmaceuticals: Sulfuric acid is used as a solvent for the chemical synthesis of a variety of chemical substances, including active pharmaceutical ingredients. One type of active pharmaceutical ingredient manufactured by using sulphuric acid are the alkylating agents which are commonly used in chemotherapy (treatment of cancer).
Gasoline: Sulfuric acid is also present in samples of gas for CEMS.
Automobile batteries: Sulfuric acid is used in the manufacturing of Lead-Acid type batteries. In the automotive industry for cars and trucks, sealed-unit lead-acid type batteries are used.
Paper bleaching: In the pulp and paper industry, sulfuric acid is used for the on-site generation of chlorine dioxide, the key bleaching agent for the environmentally-friendly ECF chemical pulping process.
Water treatment: In wastewater treatment, an acid or a base is added, depending on the pH level of the water being treated. Either sulfuric acid or a base chemical is used to bring the pH level of wastewater back to normal, and this process is known as neutralisation.
Cellulose fibres: Sulfuric acid is also used for the making of cellulose fibres such as rayon fibre.
Steel manufacturing: Nowadays, petroleum refining is used effectively to wash impurities out of gasoline and other refinery products.
Sulfuric acid is used in processing metals, for example: in pickling or cleaning of iron and steel before plating with tin or zinc.
Colouring agents: Sulfuric acid is used in the preparation of dyes, drugs, and disinfectants as colouring agents.
Regeneration of ion exchange resins: Sulfuric acid is generally used to regenerate strong acid cation resins.
Sulfuric acid is used in order to control the precipitation of calcium sulfate.
Regeneration with reduced concentrations of sulfuric acid at selected flow rates is necessary.
Uses
Sulfuric acid is formed when sulfur trioxide comes into contact with water.
Sulfuric acid is used in a lot of things, probably most famously in lead-acid batteries, like the one you probably have near the engine of your car.
Besides that, sulfuric acid has been used to make fertilizer to make our crops grows so we could all eat.
Sulfuric acid's been used to purify petroleum products.
Sulfuric acid is also used to help make glue and other acids.
Sulfuric acid's also used to help make explosives.
Sulphuric acid
7664-93-9
Oil of vitriol
Dihydrogen sulfate
Mattling acid
Battery acid
Dipping acid
Acide sulfurique
Electrolyte acid
Acidum sulfuricum
Vitriol Brown Oil
H2SO4
tetraoxosulfuric acid
Brimstone acid
Sulfuric acid concentrate
UNII-O40UQP6WCF
Sulfuric acid solution
CHEBI:26836
MFCD00064589
O40UQP6WCF
BOV
NSC-38965
NSC-248648
Acid Detergent Solution
E513
Oil of vitreol
Caswell No. 815
sulfuricacid
H2 (S O4)
HSDB 1811
Sulfur oxide (SO4)
EINECS 231-639-5
UN1830
UN1832
Opsonat
suiphuric acid
sulfuric aicd
sulfuric-acid
Nordhausen acid
suIfuric acid
Matting acid
sulphur-ic acid
G-sulfuric acid
Spirit of alum
Vitriol, oil of
Spirit of vitriol
Dihydrogen sulphate
UN2796
Sulfuric acid 50%
12772-98-4
4.1M Sulfuric acid
dihydroxidodioxidosulfur
Anhydrous sulfuric acid
Sulfuric acid, 60%
Sulfuric Acid, 96%
Sulfuric Acid, 98%
dihydrogen tetraoxosulfate
DSSTox_CID_9683
Sulfuric Acid Reagent ACS
EC 231-639-5
Sulfuric acid, 95-99%
DSSTox_RID_78807
hydrogen tetraoxosulfate(VI)
NCIOpen2_006177
DSSTox_GSID_29683
hydrogen tetraoxosulfate(2-)
Sulfuric acid solution, 1 M
Sulfuric acid, 99.999%
UN 1830 (Salt/Mix)
UN 1832 (Salt/Mix)
UN 2796 (Salt/Mix)
Sulfuric acid solution, 70%
Sulfuric acid solution, 5 mM
CHEMBL572964
INS NO.513
O2S(OH)