O sulfuric acid it is a acid strong and corrosive, also called battery acid or vitriol oil. It is one of the most used substances by the industry and that is why it is used as industrial power indicator of a country.
Features
At room temperature, sulfuric acid is liquid, with a temperature of Fusion in 10.38 °C and temperature of boiling equal to 337 °C, slimy, colorless, odorless and corrosive. Its density is 1.84 g/cm3 and it is soluble in polar solvents, and with water an extremely exothermic reaction takes place.
See too:Endothermic and exothermic processes
Therefore, one of the precautions that must be taken when mixing sulfuric acid and water is to always add the acid to the water, and never the other way around, as this way, the release of heat is minimized.
Sulfuric acid has a high degree of ionization (α = 61%), that is, it is a strong acid. In addition, it has a high oxidizing and dehydrating power, and for that reason, it is so dangerous, as it can char organic compounds, as tissues of living organisms.
In nature, sulfuric acid can be found in diluted form, because of your high solubility in water, in acid rain and in waters from mineral sources that have sulphides, such as sulphide of iron.
Know more:Melting and boiling point
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Sulfuric acid formula
Sulfuric acid is composed of two atoms of hydrogen, one of sulfur and four of oxygen, resulting in the molecular formula H2ONLY4, and yours structural formula é tetrahedral.
Like other acids, sulfuric acid is soluble in water, releasing the H ion.+, in that case: two cations. See the reaction:
H2ONLY4(aq) → 2 H+(here) + OS42-(here)
What is it for?
Sulfuric acid is a chemical substance very produced and used by industries, and therefore its consumption is taken as indicative of the industrial power of a country. One of its best known applications is how battery solution used in automobiles.
In addition, sulfuric acid is used in fertilizer production, at the refining of Petroleum, at the water treatment, in paper production and industrial cleaning as a oxidation and rust.
Sulfuric acid is also used as catalyst in various chemical processes, such as in the manufacture of nylon It's from solid carbon.
Read too:Difference between cell and battery
dangers
Sulfuric acid is classified as one of the most dangerous acids that exist, due to its corrosive and dehydrating power. In contact with the skin, the acid can cause severe burns through a reaction of dehydration, breaking down proteins, carbohydrates and lipids present in the skin and muscles.
You vapors released by sulfuric acid are also quite harmful, especially if inhaled in large quantities, causing irritation From eyes and of the airways.
For these reasons, great care must be taken when handling sulfuric acid and storing it correctly: in glass container (since, depending on the concentration of the acid, it can melt the plastic) and properly labeling your concentration.
By Victor Ferreira
Chemistry teacher
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
FERREIRA, Victor Ricardo. "Sulfuric acid"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/quimica/acido-sulfurico.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.
