Sulfuric Acid
By: Matthew Ortiz
Core 2 Science
What is Sulfuric Acid?
• A corrosive acid, normally used in the industry for
things like batteries.
• Another name for it is vitriol or hydrogen sulfate.
• It has the ability to painfully burn skin.
What Does it Look Like?
• It is a colorless, dense, oily liquid.
• Will sink to bottom if placed in water.
What is it Made of?
• It is born from the chemical reaction of sulfur
dioxide and oxygen.
• Another name for it is H2SO4.
• Corrosive with materials like wood
• Has a violent reaction with water
Sulfuric Acid used in the Industry
• Very important for making products like
batteries.
• Used for things like explosives, petroleum
refining, pigments for
paint
Battery Anatomy
• This is a car battery
• There are positive and negative plates that
carry the current in a battery
• Sulfuric acid surrounds
the plates.
Battery Anatomy - Continued
• Once the car is ignited,
the electrolyte, or sulfuric
acid triggers a small combustion
• As the energy travels, each
plate becomes stronger than
the last.
Discovery of Sulfuric Acid
• Not confirmed until sixteenth century
• First produced by Johann Baptista Helmont
– Belgian Scientist
• Became vital to chemistry’s history
The “Lead-Chamber Process”
• First successful method of producing sulfuric
acid
– Introduced by Joe Roebuck
“Lead-Chamber Process” – Continued
• Process first starts with heating sulfur into
sulfur dioxide (SO2)
• It is then oxidized into sulfur trioxide.
• Lastly, the substance goes through water
treatment where it comes out as H2SO4
References
• "sulfuric acid." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online
School Edition.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2012. Web. 28 Apr. 2012.
<http://www.school.eb.com/eb/article-9070254>.
• "electrochemical reaction." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia
Britannica Online School Edition.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2012. Web. 28 Apr. 2012.
<http://www.school.eb.com/eb/article-49348>.
• "Helicopter In Temecula - Temecula, CA Patch." Temecula, CA Patch. 29
Feb. 2012. Web. 28 Apr. 2012.
<http://temecula.patch.com/topics/helicopter in temecula>.
• "Sulfuric Acid." The Archived Blog List. Web.fccj.org. Web. 30 Apr. 2012.
<http://web.fccj.org/~ethall/h2so4/h2so4.htm>.
• "Sulfuric Acid | Research & Encyclopedia Information." BookRags.
BookRags. Web. 30 Apr. 2012.
<http://www.bookrags.com/research/sulfuric-acid-chmc/>.