Exploring Sulfuric Acid
P IntroductionThere has been a spill of concentrated sulphuric acid at the chemical plant where I work at as the Safety Engineer. In this report, I will explain what Sulfuric Acid is, the health risks and hazards associated with it, the safety precautions that should be taken and how the spill should be handled.
Sulfuric Acid, H2SO4, also commonly known as battery acid or vitriol, is one of the top products in the chemical industry, with 40 million tons produced annually in the U.S. It is a colourless, odourless and oily mineral acid that is soluble in water at all concentrations. Sulfuric acid is extremely hazardous; it reacts with water violently and exothermically and as a result, is highly corrosive.
Safety Risks & HazardsExposure routes …show more content…
Sulfuric acid is an acid because it is able to donate protons.
H2SO4 (aq) + H2O (l) H3O+ (aq) + HSO4- (aq)As seen in the above equation, sulfuric acid donates a proton while water accepts the proton. This makes sulfuric acid the acid and the water the base. A hydronium ion and a hydrogensulfate ion are formed as products. The hydronium ion is a conjugate acid as it now has the ability to act as a proton donor while the hydrogensulfate ion is a conjugate base because it now has the ability to act as a proton acceptor.
Sulfuric acid is considered a strong acid because it has a strong ability to donate protons. H2SO4 is a better proton donor than H3O+ and H2O is a stronger proton acceptor than HSO4-.
The Arrhenius TheoryAcids and bases are electrolytes - that is, they conduct electricity. This means that they form ions when dissolved in water. Arrhenius focused on what was formed when acids and bases dissociate into ions. The fact that acids react with many metals to form hydrogen gas led Arrhenius to believe that acid solutions contained hydrogen ions. He came up with the theory that acids dissociate in water to form hydrogen ions while bases dissociate in water to form hydroxide …show more content…
Common neutralising bases include sodium hydroxide, sodium carbonate, calcium hydroxide etc. Sodium hydroxide, also known as caustic, is the most widely used alkaline neutralising chemical in industries. It is effective, inexpensive and easy to handle due to its high solubility. To neutralise the sulfuric acid, add NaOH slowly and carefully to the acid until the endpoint is reached. Aqueous sodium sulphate, a relatively safe salt will be formed as a product. The neutralised acid should then be collected in a plastic container and disposed of in accordance with local
Sulfuric Acid, H2SO4, also commonly known as battery acid or vitriol, is one of the top products in the chemical industry, with 40 million tons produced annually in the U.S. It is a colourless, odourless and oily mineral acid that is soluble in water at all concentrations. Sulfuric acid is extremely hazardous; it reacts with water violently and exothermically and as a result, is highly corrosive.
Safety Risks & HazardsExposure routes …show more content…
Sulfuric acid is an acid because it is able to donate protons.
H2SO4 (aq) + H2O (l) H3O+ (aq) + HSO4- (aq)As seen in the above equation, sulfuric acid donates a proton while water accepts the proton. This makes sulfuric acid the acid and the water the base. A hydronium ion and a hydrogensulfate ion are formed as products. The hydronium ion is a conjugate acid as it now has the ability to act as a proton donor while the hydrogensulfate ion is a conjugate base because it now has the ability to act as a proton acceptor.
Sulfuric acid is considered a strong acid because it has a strong ability to donate protons. H2SO4 is a better proton donor than H3O+ and H2O is a stronger proton acceptor than HSO4-.
The Arrhenius TheoryAcids and bases are electrolytes - that is, they conduct electricity. This means that they form ions when dissolved in water. Arrhenius focused on what was formed when acids and bases dissociate into ions. The fact that acids react with many metals to form hydrogen gas led Arrhenius to believe that acid solutions contained hydrogen ions. He came up with the theory that acids dissociate in water to form hydrogen ions while bases dissociate in water to form hydroxide …show more content…
Common neutralising bases include sodium hydroxide, sodium carbonate, calcium hydroxide etc. Sodium hydroxide, also known as caustic, is the most widely used alkaline neutralising chemical in industries. It is effective, inexpensive and easy to handle due to its high solubility. To neutralise the sulfuric acid, add NaOH slowly and carefully to the acid until the endpoint is reached. Aqueous sodium sulphate, a relatively safe salt will be formed as a product. The neutralised acid should then be collected in a plastic container and disposed of in accordance with local