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Essay / Basic Uses of Sulfuric Acid
Basic uses include fertilizer manufacturing, mineral processing, wastewater treatment, petroleum refining, and chemical synthesis. Sulfuric acid is used for a wide variety of purposes, both domestically and industrially. Sulfuric acid is used in the production of: Unblockers Detergents Synthetic resins Pharmaceuticals Petroleum catalysts Insecticides Antifreeze Batteries Pigments such as paint, enamels and printing inks. Say no to plagiarism. Get a Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayHome Uses: Sulfuric acid in higher concentrations is often the main ingredient in acidic drain cleaners that are used to remove fats, proteins, grease, hair. etc. In addition to this, being a strong dehydrating agent, it can also remove tissue paper through the dehydration process. As the acid reacts vigorously with water, such drain openers must be added carefully into the pipe to be unclogged. Industrial uses: Industrial production of chemicals: Sulfuric acid is mainly used for the production of phosphoric acid, which is used to make phosphate fertilizers. The raw material is treated with sulfuric acid to produce calcium sulfate, hydrogen fluoride (HF) and phosphoric acid. Ca5F(PO4)3 + 5 H2SO4 + 10 H2O? 5 CaSO4·2 H2O + HF + 3 H3PO4 Another primary use of sulfuric acid is the production of aluminum sulfate, which can react with soap on pulp fibers to convert them to aluminum carboxylates, which help in the coagulation of pulp fibers into hard paper. surface. Sulfur-iodine cycle: The sulfur-iodine cycle is a chain of thermochemical processes used to produce hydrogen. It consists of three chemical reactions. Sulfur and iodine compounds are recovered and reused.2 H2SO4 ? 2 SO2 + 2 H2O + O2 (830 °C)I2 + SO2 + 2 H2O? 2 HI + H2SO4 (120 °C)2 HI ? I2 + H2 (320°C)Industrial cleaning agent: Sulfuric acid is used in large quantities by the iron and steel industry to remove rust, oxidation and scale from billets and rolled sheets before sale. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) can be added to sulfuric acid to produce piranha solution, a powerful cleaning solution usually used in the microelectronics industry, as well as to clean glassware in laboratories. Catalyst: Sulfuric acid is the typical acid catalyst for the conversion of cyclohexanone. oximeto, used to make nylon. It is also used in electrophilic aromatic sulfonation and nitration. 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. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Electrolyte: Sulfuric acid acts as an electrolyte in lead-acid batteries: At the anode: Pb + SO42- ? PbSO4 + 2 e-At the cathode: PbO2 + 4 H+ + SO42- + 2 e-? PbSO4 + 2 H2O Overall: Pb + PbO2 + 4 H+ + 2 SO42-? 2 PbSO4 + 2 H2OGHINA MUMTAZ AL