OTHER CHEMICALS

SULFURIC ACID

Sulfuric acid is a colorless, oily liquid. Concentrated sulfuric acid contains 96.98% by mass of H2SO4. One of its properties is that it is a substance close to water. Concentrated sulfuric acid draws water from many organic materials and creates an exothermic reaction. Due to this feature, it can cause great damage to the skin when in contact. For the same reason, diluting sulfuric acid must be done very carefully. When 1 mole of sulfuric acid is added to a large amount of water, about 880 kJ of heat is released. Adding water to concentrated sulfuric acid is very dangerous. Because water boils very quickly by forming bubbles on the acid due to the high exothermic reaction. H2SO4 is one of the most produced and used substances in the chemical industry. In the agricultural industry, large amounts of acid are used to obtain soluble calcium dihydrogen phosphate from insoluble phosphate rocks such as calcium phosphate Ca3(PO4)2. The name of the industrial method used in the production of sulfuric acid is the “contact process”. In the first step, sulfur dioxide is formed by the combustion of sulfur and sulfides. Sulfuric acid is found in the market in drain cleaners and batteries.

• Formula: H₂SO₄
• Density: 1.83 g/cm³
• Molar mass: 98.079 g/mol
• IUPAC number: Sulfuric acid
• Boiling point: 337 °C
• Melting point: 10 °C