sulfuric acid
11
4.2
- noun
- /səlˈfjʊrɪk ˈæsɪd/
- Specialized
:
ácido sulfúrico
- In laboratories, sulfuric acid is often used as a dehydrating agent for various chemical reactions.
- dilute sulfuric acid
- sulfuric acid solution
- sulfuric acid dissolved in water
And but on Venus, of course, the clouds are almost all sulfuric acid.
- And but on Venus, of course, the clouds are almost all sulfuric acid.
- And it just so happens that calcium sulfate is insoluble in dilute sulfuric acid.
- And then when you have sulfur mixed with the water vapor or the water in your lungs, this turns into sulfuric acid.
Examples
-
As an example, consider the case of a wastewater treatment plant that utilized sulfuric acid in its process.
Academic text (1996) -
Because batteries contain sulfuric acid, any spills could be a possible threat to personnel or to the environment.
Academic text (2003) -
So please be careful with that sulfuric acid, you know how bad that is.
-
- These are bottles of sulfuric acid, might slow the thing down a bit.
-
A system was installed that adds sulfuric acid to the water.
Academic text (1998) -
Another wave of sulfuric acid drifted into the room.
Fiction book (1995) -
And for comparison, I have now got some dilute sulfuric acid, which is what we started with.
-
The problem is that cheap phosphoric acid is made with sulfuric acid (wet process).
Blog text (23) -
I'm working on experiments involving lasers, sulfuric acid, and butterflies.
-
Energy is stored chemically in different ionic forms of vanadium within a dilute sulfuric acid electrolyte.
Academic text (2005)
Synonyms
1
9.9
A very strong acid used in factories and science labs
A very strong acid used in factories that can burn skin
How Acidic
- Specialized
1
9.5
- Specialized
11
4.2
- Specialized
6
4.1
- Specialized
1
4.1
- Specialized
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is transparently compositional: 'sulfuric' denotes relating to sulfur and 'acid' denotes a corrosive chemical, so a learner who knows both constituents can infer it is an acid containing/derived from sulfur. Cross-linguistic parallels (e.g. Spanish 'ácido sulfúrico', French 'acide sulfurique') make this construction predictable, though detailed chemical properties (H2SO4, industrial strength) are technical and not required for basic understanding.
Etymology
Sulfuric acid comes from the element sulfur and the word acid, which means 'sour'. The name points to a very strong, sour chemical made from sulfur that can burn or damage things, so it is used carefully in industry.