This compound is so widely used in the world's industries that even its use determines the level of development of this area in the countries. The production level of sulfuric acid is extremely high, because it has many qualities that make it excellent for the manufacture and production of certain materials that are very popular throughout the world. It has characteristics that make it have an incredible corrosive power, which is why it is given its respective name.
In the Middle Ages this compound was known as the vitriol oil, whose name was given by the alchemists of the time, approximately in the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries, these were also the most important centuries, referring to its discovery and study of its functions.
There are various processes to obtain sulfuric acid, being the lead chamber process the oldest of all that even today it is very common to witness this process, because the large fertilizer manufacturing industries use it to facilitate obtaining. of the same.
The processes to obtain this acid can be very dangerous if you do not know exactly all the steps that must be known to be able to carry them out, because it produces large amounts of heat, and in turn your body is very hot, so any splash could cause severe burns.
Composition of sulfuric acid
This is the most widely used compound worldwide, being the industry with the highest levels of use of sulfuric acid the manufacturers of fertilizers, the strongest characteristic of this is that it is an extremely corrosive component, and its chemical formula is S2HO4.
Sulfuric acid is the component with the highest production worldwide, This is due to the fact that it has certain characteristics that allow the elaboration of infinities of products derived from it, as well as it can also be used for the synthesis of other substances such as acids and sulfates.
In ancient times it was known as the oil or spirit of Vitriol, because it comes from this mineral, generally this compound can be obtained from sulfur dioxide through a process called oxidation with nitrogen oxides in aqueous solution, after obtaining it is It is necessary to carry out other processes in order to increase its concentration.
The two hydrogen atoms that this molecule possesses are linked to the two oxygen atoms, which are not double bonded to sulfur. Depending on the solution that is present, these hydrogens can dissociate.
The acid molecule has a peculiar pyramidal shape, characterized by having the sulfur atom in the center, while the hydrogen atoms can be seen in the four corners. In water it behaves as a strong acid in its first dissociation, obtaining as a result the hydrogen-sulfate anion, although in the second dissociation it appears as a weak acid, which results in the sulfate anion.
Sulfuric acid formation
This can be found in various areas of commerce in different presentations, starting from the purest, to all the types of mixture that may exist derived from it, which are measured by degrees of purity.
For the formation of sulfuric acid to exist, it is necessary to go through certain processes to obtain it, among which the best known, and most used are those of the lead chamber and the contact process, the first mentioned is the oldest method for obtaining this compound, and today it continues to be of great importance and use, especially by industries in charge of manufacturing fertilizers.
It is possible to obtain this compound in laboratories, this is achieved by passing a stream of sulfur dioxide gas, in a hydrogen peroxide solution. The concentration of sulfuric acid through this production process is achieved by evaporating the water.
Contact process
In this process of obtaining sulfuric acid, a mixture of gases can be observed that contain an approximate between 7 and 10 percent of SO2 , according to the source of its production, and an approximate between 11 and 13 percent is preheated, and once it is purified to the maximum, it can be passed to a converter of one or probably more catalytic beds, this It is due to a platinum rule, in which the formation of the SO can be visualized3 usually two or more converters are used in this process.
The production of this compound through the combustion of elemental sulfur tends to present a better energy balance, which does not necessarily have to be adapted to some rigorous purification systems, which in other cases this process is forced.
There is a big difference between SO manufacturing2 by burning sulfure, and by the other method known as the roasting of pyrites, especially if these are arsenical, this is because the second one leaves many impurities in the final result that can never be completely eliminated.
In a plant in normal operation the SO conversion performance2 to SO3 ranges from 96% and 97%, because their effectiveness decreases over time, this effect can be noticed more frequently in plants where starting pyrites with a high arsenic content are used, which cannot be completely eliminate the compound, and therefore accompany the gases that undergo the catalysis process, causing the poisoning of the catalyst, this being the main cause of the sudden drops in performance.
In the second converter the gases have a residence time of approximately 2 to 4 seconds, and in this the temperature must be accustomed to between 500 and 600 degrees Celsius to achieve an optimal equilibrium constant to achieve a maximum conversion with the minimum possible cost.
After the previous process, the gases coming from the catalysis are cooled to a temperature close to 100º degrees Celsius, to then pass through an oleum tower, thanks to this, a not complete, but rather partial absorption of the SO is achieved.3The remaining gases from this pass through a second tower where the compound is cleaned and washed with sulfuric acid. After all these steps are completed, the residual gases are eliminated through a chimney into the stratosphere.
Lead Chamber Process
This particular process is the oldest known with which sulfuric acid is manufactured and obtained, in which SO3 gaseous enters a reactor known by the name of glover tower where it enters a washing process with nitrous vitriol, which is sulfuric acid with nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide particles dissolved in it, which in turn is mixed with two types of nitrogen oxide, (NO) and the (IV). Much of the sulfur oxide IV used here is oxidized to sulfur oxide VI and dissolved in an acid bath to form the tower acid, characteristic of the Glover tower.
After the gas mixtures pass through the Glover tower, they are taken to a chamber lined with lead (hence its name) where they are treated with plenty of water, which have different shapes, according to the manufacturer's criteria, among which the most common are square or those that have a shape similar to that of a cone.
Sulfuric acid is condensed on the walls, formed by a series of reactions and is accumulated on the floor of the lead-coated chamber, normally the existence of between 3 to 6 chambers in succession can be observed, the final product obtained from said chambers It is often known as chamber acid, or more commonly as fertilizer acid.
In the last phase of this process, the gases are passed through another reactor called the Gay-Lussac tower, where a continuous washing begins with concentrated and cold acids, which come from the Glover tower, to end the gases that could not be processed are released into the atmosphere.
History of sulfuric acid
Its beginnings date back to medieval times, in which instead of scientists, alchemists were those who experimented with substances obtained from the earth, being mostly natural, although some managed to manufacture compounds such as Jabirú Ibn Hayyan, who was the discoverer of sulfuric acid for the first time in the eighth century and then in subsequent centuries to be studied in depth, because they had realized its great qualities, and possible uses that housed the possibility of manufacturing new artifacts and products, determined process managed to become popular in those times of treatises and books of both Arabs and Persians, due to the study made by European alchemists in the thirteenth century.
In the Europe of those times, exactly in the medieval era, sulfuric acid was known as vitriol, or vitriol compound, like vitriol liquor or vitriol oil, due to the fact that it is present in this mineral. The word vitriol comes from the Latin vitreus, which refers to sulfate salts, and its translation into Spanish would be crystal.
This component from the beginning proved to be of great interest among alchemists, so much so that it came to try to be used as a philosopher's stone, although among its most common uses was to make substances react.
Johann Glauber was a German chemist with Dutch descent managed to obtain sulfuric acid, or vitriol, through a process of burning sulfur with potassium nitrate in the presence of water vapor. This was due to the fact that while the potassium nitrate was decomposing, it was possible to observe how the sulfur oxidized into SO3 that later when combining it with water it was possible to obtain the compound. This became a great method of marketing sulfuric acid, because it was easier to mass-produce.
In times closer to approximately the year 1746, the lead-coated chamber method began to be used, which was much more sustainable and simple than Glauber's, and this finally stabilized the industry for the production of this compound. , causing a large trade in it around the world.
The concentration levels were very low of approximately 40%, but this was improved with the studies of the characteristics of the compound, achieving the manufacture of new products that required higher concentrations, this is because some of the scientists relied on in the ancient practices of obtaining alchemists, precisely in the burning of pyrites.
Then in 1831 a vinegar seller managed to generate a much more sustainable process than the previous ones, due to the low costs that it deserved to be able to carry them out, which is called the contact process, being this known for having most of the supply of sulfuric acid.
Sulfuric acid applications and preventions
Once all the aspects and the history of how this compound was obtained for the first time have been known, it is extremely important to know what its most common applications are, and the precautions that must be taken, because in most of these processes it is heated the substance to such an extent that it could severely burn anyone.
Most common applications
- Some industries processes that make wood and paper products require sulfuric acid in them, as well as in textile products.
- In the fertilizer manufacturing industries, the greater consumption and demand of this compound is noted, since its components are very effective for the elaboration of these substances, this is because it acts as a natural fertilizer.
- In most cases this compound is used as a raw material, although it is rarely reflected in the final product.
- Among the most important are petroleum refining, steel treatment, pigment production, explosives, plastics, fibers, detergents, and non-ferrous metal extraction.
- It serves as a method of treating various metals such as steel, copper, vanadium, among others.
- In some countries its use is strictly monitored by the entities belonging to the health protection laws.
- Its most direct use, so to speak, is that of the manufacture of sulfur, which is incorporated through organic sulfurization, the process of which is particular to the detergent industries.
Precautions
The manufacturing processes of sulfuric acid can be really dangerous because in the vast majority, if not all, the compound is heated to extreme temperatures, so it must always be taken into account that it must be poured into water , and never the other way around, as it can cause aggressive splashes that can cause severe skin burns.