3
$\begingroup$

What is the salt formation for iron(III) sulfate?

Wikipedia tells me that the production of iron(III) sulfate is:

$$\ce{2 FeSO4 + H2SO4 + H2O2 → Fe2(SO4)3 + 2 H2O}$$

I was wondering if there was a difference between salt formation equation and production, because I thought it would've went something more like:

$$\ce{2 Fe(OH)3 + 3 H2SO4 → Fe2(SO4)3 + 6 H2O}$$

$\endgroup$

1 Answer 1

5
$\begingroup$

I was wondering if there was a difference between salt formation equation and production.

Absolutely! In this case, the latter means that you're trying to turn a side product (waste) of a technical product into another marketable product.

In order to understand, why the oxidation of $\ce{FeSO4}$ is interesting, you have to realize that it is a side product in the synthesis of titanium dioxide ($\ce{TiO2}$). Here, ilmenite ($\ce{FeTiO3}$) is processed with concentrated sulfuric acid to yield $\ce{TiOSO4}$ as the valuable intermediate and $\ce{FeSO4}$ as "waste".

$\endgroup$

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.