sulphuric

Definitions  ·  Examples  ·  Pronunciations  ·  Etymologies  ·  Related  ·  Statistics  ·  Comments  · 
“
Try warm acid--sulphuric, hydrochloric, or oxalic--on the fibres; let the fibres dry.

View all »
Definitions (7)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (5)

  1. Of or pertaining to or obtained from sulphur.
  2. Sulphuric acid H2SO4, oil of vitriol, a dense oily colorless fluid, having, when strongly concentrated, a specific gravity of about 1.8. It is exceedingly acid and corrosive, decomposing all animal and vegetable substances by the aid of heat. It has a very great affinity for water, and unites with it in every proportion, evolving at the same time great heat; it attracts moisture strongly from the atmosphere, becoming rapidly weaker if exposed. When the concentrated acid is heated, sulphur trioxid is given off, and at about 640° F. it boils and distils unchanged. The sulphuric acid of commerce is never pure, but may contain lead sulphate dissolved from the lead chambers during the process of manufacture, arsenic, and other impurities. It was formerly procured by the distillation of dried iron sulphate, called green vitriol, whence the corrosive liquid which came over in the distillation, having an oily consistence, was called oil of vitriol. It is now prepared in the United States and most other countries by burning sulphur, or frequently iron pyrites, in closed furnaces, and leading the fumes, mixed with oxids of nitrogen, into large leaden chambers, into which jets of steam are continuously sent. The oxids of nitrogen are produced by the action of sulphuric acid upon niter contained in pots, which are placed between the sulphur-ovens and the chambers. The sulphur dioxid takes away part of the oxygen from the oxids of nitrogen, which are again oxidized by the air in the chambers. The sulphur trioxid produced unites with the steam to form sulphuric acid. The acid produced in the chamber, called chamber-acid, which has a specific gravity of about 1.5 and contains 64 per cent, of H2SO4, is concentrated in leaden vessels until it reaches a specific gravity of 1.71 and contains 78 per cent. of H2SO4, when it is run into glass or sometimes into platinum vessels, where the concentration is continued. By concentrating sulphuric acid as far as possible and then cooling sufficiently, crystals of the true acid H2SO4 are obtained. The ordinary acid is a hydrate containing varying amounts of water. A form of sulphuric acid known as Nordhausen acid, or fuming sulphuric acid, is prepared by heating iron protosulphate or green vitriol in closed vessels; it is a solution of variable quantities of sulphur trioxid in sulphuric acid, or it may be regarded as pyrosulphuric acid, H2S2O7. It is largely used in the manufacture of artificial alizarin. Sulphuric acid is a strong dibasic acid, and forms both acid and neutral salts. It is found uncombined in natural waters of certain volcanic districts. Its salts are universally distributed in nature, and are most extensively used in the arts. The free acid is more widely used than any other, and is the agent for releasing other acids from their salts and preparing them in a pure state. See sulphate.
  3. Sulphuric caustic strong sulphuric acid made into a paste with plaster of Paris, saffron, or lint.
2 more from this dictionary »

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (1)

Toggle WordNet definitions WordNet (1)

Toggle elsewhere links Elsewhere on the web

View all »
Examples (50)

  • Even in those early days he arrived at the conclusion that the lead-sulphuric-acid combination was intrinsically wrong, and did not embrace the elements of a permanent commercial device. —  Edison, His Life and Inventions
  • Try warm acid--sulphuric, hydrochloric, or oxalic--on the fibres; let the fibres dry. —  Textiles and Clothing
  • Vitriol--sulphuric acid What, had you got that sort of stuff on board the schooner The governor has in his big medicine-chest And did that turn them black like this Yes; you just paint them over with it, and hold them to the galley fire. —  Fitz the Filibuster
  • On diluting the strong acid solution with water there is precipitated out the hydro or oxycelluloses that have been formed, while the cellulose sulphates are retained in solution By suitable means the calcium, barium, or lead salts of these cellulose-sulphuric acids can be prepared. —  The Dyeing of Cotton Fabrics A Practical Handbook for the Dyer and Student
  • The acid acts upon the surface of the paper and forms the cellulose-sulphuric acid which remains attached to the surface. —  The Dyeing of Cotton Fabrics A Practical Handbook for the Dyer and Student
More examples »
 

Tags

sulphuric hasn't been tagged yet.

Sign up or sign in to add tags.

Stats

This word has been looked up 37 times.

stop updating
On Twitter

Photos from

flickr images

Etymologies (1)

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (1)

  1. = French sulfurique = Spanish sulfúrico = Portuguese sulphurico = Italian solforico, from New Latin sulfuricus, sulphuricus; as sulphur + -ic.
 

Pronunciations
Record your own »

If you'd like to prod us on getting a pronunciation for this word, sign in (or sign up) and let us know.

Charts
frequency chart

Bubble size: how much this word was used in a year

Bubble height: used more or less than expected, vs. all uses evenly distributed

You can expect to see this word about twice a month.

Recently looked up

rapt · ranging · kadar · mistrustful · haberdashery

Recent Favorites

pygopagus · sanglant · Astacus · sweetbread · qualms

Recent Pronunciations

qualms · poofter · oh for heaven's sake · embodies · silence