Table of Contents
Sulfuric Acid: Sulfuric Acid Formula, Uses and Manufacture
Sulfuric acid is a colorless, oily liquid that is highly corrosive. It has a pungent, suffocating odor. Sulfuric acid is a strong acid that can cause severe burns. It is used in the manufacture of fertilizers, explosives, dyes, and other chemicals.
Sulfuric acid formula
The sulfuric acid molecule is composed of one sulfur atom and two oxygen atoms, connected by a double bond. The sulfur atom is in the +6 oxidation state, and the oxygen atoms are in the -2 oxidation state. The sulfuric acid molecule is polar, with a negative charge on the oxygen atoms and a positive charge on the sulfur atom.
Sulfuric acid uses
Sulfuric acid is used in a variety of industries, including the production of fertilizers, explosives, and dyes. It is also used in the production of lead acid batteries and petroleum products.
Pharmaceuticals:
It 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.
Acid Rain: Sulfuric acid is a main component in acid rain.
Automobile batteries:
- It 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.
- Lead-acid type batteries are made up of lead plates and sulfuric acid. When the battery is being discharged, the lead plates and sulfuric acid react to create lead sulfate and water. When the battery is being charged, the lead sulfate and water are turned back into lead plates and sulfuric acid.
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.
- In this process, sodium sulfate (or another sulfate such as potassium sulfate) is added to the black liquor, a waste product from the papermaking process, to produce sulfurous acid. The sulfurous acid then oxidizes the chlorine in the chlorine dioxide generator to chlorine dioxide.
- Sulfuric acid is also used as a pickling agent in the manufacture of stainless steel.
- In the dyeing and printing of textiles, sulfuric acid is used as a mordant to set the dye.
- In agriculture, sulfuric acid is used as a fertilizer to acidify soil and to kill weeds.
- In horticulture, sulfuric acid is often used to kill unwanted plants.
- In winemaking, sulfuric acid is used to adjust the acidity of wine.
- In photography, sulfuric acid was once used to develop photographic plates.
- In petroleum refining, sulfuric acid is used to desulfurize crude oil.
- In the chemical industry, sulfuric acid is used in the manufacture of detergents, pharmaceuticals, and other chemicals.
- In environmental remediation, sulfuric acid is used to dissolve metal sludges and other pollutants.
- In power generation, sulfuric acid is used in the wet scrubbing of flue gases to remove sulfur dioxide from the exhaust stream.
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.
- In industry, acid and base chemicals are used to clean metal surfaces, to remove unwanted substances from water, and to neutralise dangerous or corrosive materials. In the home, baking soda (a base) is often used to neutralise acidic foods like tomatoes and vinegar.
Cellulose fibres:
- Sulfuric acid is also used for the making of cellulose fibres such as rayon fibre.
- The cellulose is dissolved in a large quantity of sulfuric acid. The acid is then neutralized with sodium carbonate and the cellulose fibres are formed.
Steel manufacturing:
- Nowadays, petroleum refining is used effectively to wash impurities out of gasoline and other refinery products. It is used in processing metals, for example: in pickling or cleaning of iron and steel before plating with tin or zinc.
- Petroleum refining is also used in the manufacture of various types of plastics, synthetic rubber, and other chemicals.
Colouring agents:
- It is used in the preparation of dyes, drugs, and disinfectants as colouring agents.
- It is used in the preparation of dyes, drugs, and disinfectants as colouring agents. Pharmaceuticals: It is also used as a pharmaceuticals.
- It is also used as a pharmaceuticals. Agriculture: It is used as a soil conditioner in agriculture.
- It is used as a soil conditioner in agriculture. Rubber: It is used in the preparation of rubber.
- It is used in the preparation of rubber. Explosives: It is used in the preparation of explosives.
- It is used in the preparation of explosives. Cosmetics: It is used as a cosmetic.
- It is used as a cosmetic. Glass: It is used in the preparation of glass.
- It is used in the preparation of glass. Paper: It is used in the preparation of paper.
- Sodium carbonate is also used as a food additive.
Regeneration of ion exchange resins:
- is generally used to regenerate strong acid cation resins. It is used in order to control the precipitation of calcium sulfate. Regeneration with reduced concentrations of sulfuric acid at selected flow rates is necessary.
- The main purpose of regeneration is to remove accumulated contaminants from the resin and restore the resin to its original condition. The two most common methods of regeneration are chemical and thermal.
- Chemical regeneration uses a chemical agent to dissolve the contaminants and flush them from the resin. Thermal regeneration uses heat to break down the contaminants and flush them from the resin.
Electrolysis of concentrated sulfuric acid
- The electrolysis of concentrated sulfuric acid is used commercially to produce hydrogen gas and sulfur dioxide.
- The electrolysis of concentrated sulfuric acid produces hydrogen gas and sulfur dioxide.
The reaction is:
2 H2SO4 (l) → 2 H2 (g) + SO2 (g)
The hydrogen gas is used to produce fuel cells and the sulfur dioxide is used in the production of sulfuric acid.
Manufacture of sulfuric acid
- Sulfuric acid is manufactured industrially by the reaction of sulfur dioxide with water, usually in the presence of a catalyst such as vanadium pentoxide:
- The catalyst is necessary to initiate the desired reaction. The sulfur dioxide is produced by burning sulfur in air.
Sulfur dioxide and water react to form sulfuric acid according to the following equation:
SO2(g) + H2O(l) → H2SO4(aq)
The sulfuric acid produced is then neutralized with sodium hydroxide to form sodium sulfate and water:
H2SO4(aq) + 2NaOH(aq) → Na2SO4(aq) + 2H2O(l)
Phenol sulfuric acid method
- The phenol sulfuric acid method is a wet-chemical process used for the qualitative analysis of carbon and hydrogen in organic compounds. The method uses phenol and sulfuric acid to convert a compound to a phenol sulfonic acid. The concentration of carbon and hydrogen in the compound can then be determined by measuring the absorbance of the phenol sulfonic acid at different wavelengths.
- The phenol sulfuric acid method can be used to determine the concentration of carbon and hydrogen in a compound, as well as the presence of functional groups that contain carbon and hydrogen. The method is not as accurate as other methods, such as gas chromatography, and is not typically used for quantitative analysis.
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