Is it possible to create sulfuric acid using sulfur dioxide directly dissolved in water? Usually, people oxidize the $\ce{SO2}$ to sulfur trioxide ($\ce{SO3}$) first. If this is possible, why is it not done industrially?
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asked Jun 10, 2016 at 6:33
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$\begingroup$ see this and this $\endgroup$– Nilay GhoshJun 10, 2016 at 7:19
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1 Answer
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If you try to dissolve sulfur dioxide into water, you'll get sulfurous acid instead of sulfuric acid: $$\ce{H2O + SO2 <=> H+ + HSO3-}$$
There's a very good reading material on the Contact Process to help explain why we have opted for the specific industrial conditions.
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$\begingroup$ Sulfurous acid does not exist. It is an aqueous solution of sulfur dioxide. $\endgroup$ Jun 10, 2016 at 16:05