Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry Sulfer
Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry Sulfer
Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry Sulfer
Sulfur is found in its elemental state underground in the USA, Mexico and Poland.
It is also a by-product from the removal of sulfur from petroleum and natural gas.
Sulfur can also be obtained from sulfide ores.
Uses of sulfur
The main use of sulfur is in making sulphuric acid which is a very important chemical
used in many industries.
It is also used extensively in making rubber tyres more flexible (vulcanising), where the
rubber is heated with sulfur.
Sulfur dioxide
Sulfur dioxide can be made by the direct combination of sulphur with oxygen.
This is the method used in the first stage of the manufacture of sulfuric acid:
o S + O2 → SO2
Sulfuric acid is synthesised by the Contact process which uses sulfur and oxygen from air and
is done in three distinct stages.
Stage 1
Stage 2
The main stage is the oxidation of sulfur dioxide to sulfur trioxide using a V2O5 catalyst:
o 2SO2 + O2 ⇌2SO3
The conditions for the main stage of production of sulfur trioxide need to be considered:
Temperature: 450ºC
Pressure: 2 atm
An increase in pressure shifts the position of equilibrium to the right in the direction of a
smaller number of gaseous molecules.
However the position of equilibrium lies far to the right (the equilibrium mixture contains
about 96% sulfur trioxide).
So the reaction is carried out at just above atmospheric pressure because:
o a) it is not worth spending the extra energy or money required to produce high
pressures.
o b) a higher pressure would increase the problems of dealing with the corrosive
mixture of gases.
Stage 3
Once stage 2 is completed, the sulfur trioxide is absorbed into a solution of 98% sulphuric
acid to produce a thick liquid called oleum:
o SO3 + H2SO4 → H2S2O7
It is not absorbed into water because a fine mist of sulfuric acid would be produced and
this would be difficult to condense and is also highly dangerous.
Oleum is added to water to form concentrated sulfuric acid:
o H2S2O7 + H2O → 2H2SO4
Sulfuric acid is a strong acid dibasic acid as two of its hydrogen atoms can be replaced by
a metal.
It reacts in a similar way to other acids with metal carbonates, oxides, hydroxides (and
ammonia) and metals, e.g:
o ZnO + H2SO4 → ZnSO4 + H2O
o Mg + H2SO4 → MgSO4 + H2
o Na2CO3 + H2SO4 → Na2SO4 + CO2 + H2O
Concentrated sulphuric acid is corrosive and a powerful oxidising agent.
Concentrated sulphuric acid is also a very powerful dehydrating agent and is very good at
removing water from other substances.
For example, if mixed with sugar (C6H12O6), concentrated H2SO4 will remove water
molecules and leave behind carbon in a spectacular looking reaction that produces a
tower of pure carbon.
The reaction of concentrated H2SO4 and sugar, which dehydrates the sugar leaving behind
a tower of carbon
Dilute
Concentrated
Exam Tip
You need to know the conditions used in both the Haber process and the Contact process (see
above) and be able to explain the reasons why the conditions of Stage 2 of sulfuric acid
manufacture are chosen in terms of the equilibrium reactions.