Sulfuric acid as it is called the king of reagents is used for various purposes in the industry as well as in the laboratory.

The main uses of sulfuric acids are summarized below: >Sulfuric acid is used for the manufacture of fertilizers The major use (60% of total production worldwide) for sulfuric acid is in the "wet method" for the production of PHOSPHORIC ACID used for manufacture of PHOSPHATE FERTILIZERS as well as TRISODIUMPHOSPHATE for detergents. In this method, phosphate rock is used, and more than 100 million tones are processed annually. This raw material is shown below as FLURAPATITE, though the exact composition may vary. This is treated with 93% sulfuric acid to produce calcium sulfate, hydrogen fluoride (HF) and phosphoric acid. The overall process can be represented as:

Ca5F(PO4)3 + 5 H2SO4 + 10 H2O 5 CaSO42 H2O + HF + 3 H3PO4

>Sulfuric acid is used in the manufacture of other acids like hydrochloric acids, orthophophoric acid and nitric acid. >Sulfuric acid is used in the manufacture of explosives like TNT, TNG etc. > Nitroglycerine is produced by the reaction of sulfuric acid on glycerol, this product is used as an important explosive as well as as the blood vessel dilator in the treatment of heart disease. CH2ONO2 | CHONO2 | CH2ONO2 >Sulfuric acid is used in the manufacture of important chemicals such as sodium carbonate, phosphoric acid as described in the text alums, sulfates of metals , ethers phosphorous etc. > Sulfuric acid is used in the petroleum industry. it is used in the alkylation process of refinement of petrol. The alkylation process in petroleum refining combines low-molecular-weight olefins (primarily a mixture of propylene and butylene) with isobutene in the presence of a catalyst, either sulfuric acid or hydrofluoric acid. The product so obtained is known as

alkylate and it is rich in branched chain hydrocarbons and the unsaturated compounds like olefins hydrocarbons. Alkylate is very demanding substance in the petroleum industry as it has very high antiknock property and left no pollutant on burning. >Sulfuric acid is used in the manufacture of number of drugs and disinfectants. > Sulfuric acid is used in the paper, textiles and dyeing industries. > Sulfuric acid is used in the lather industry for tanning. > Sulfuric acid is used in storage batteries.

>Lead-acid battery (or accumulator) : Pb,PbSO4|H2SO4(aq)|PbO2,Pb

Anode (-): lead plates

Pb(s)+HSO4-(aq) ----->PbSO4(s)+H+(aq)+2e-

Cathode (+): lead plates covered with PbO2

PbO2(s)+3H+(aq)+HSO4-(aq)+2e- ----->PbSO4(s)+2H2O(l)

Electrolyte: 4M H2SO4

Voltage: 2.1 volts per cell (6 cells in series makes up a 12volt car battery) Uses: motor vehicle batteries As cell delivers current, lead sulfate deposits on electrodes & [H2SO4] falls. Six 2V cells connected in series make up a 12V battery. To obtain high current output from the battery, the surface area of the electrodes in contact with the electrolyte must be large & the plates close together.

>Sulfuric acid is used in the laboratory as an important reagent. >Sulfuric acid is used for the cleansing of metals before electroplating, enameling, galvanizing etc. > It is also used as an oxidizing and dehydrating agent. As sulfuric acid has great affinity for water, it acts as powerful dehydrating agents. Its corrosive action on skin is also due to dehydration of skin , it absorbs water from organic compounds. Concentrated sulfuric acid (18M) is used as a dehydrating agent, that is, to remove water, since it has a tendency to form hydrates such as H2SO4.H2O, H2SO4.2H2O, etc. Sulfuric acid is often used to dry neutral and acidic gases such as N2, O2, CO2 and SO2

Sulfuric acid will "suck" water out of carbohydrates and some other organic compounds which contain oxygen and hydrogen. For example, sulfuric acid will "suck" water out of sucrose, C12H22O11(s), (cane sugar) to produce a spongy mass of carbon: C12H22O11(s) + 11H2SO4 -----> 12C(s) + 11H2SO4.H2O C12H22O11 (H2SO4) ====== == 12C+11H2O (H2SO4) C6H12O6 (H2SO4) =======6C+6H2O (H2SO4) > Sulfuric acid is used in large quantities by the iron and steelmaking industry to remove oxidation, rust and scale from rolled sheet and billets prior to sale to the automobile and white goods industry.