Introduction
Many industrial products are manufactured for our comfort. They are either made from
sulphuric acid, ammonia, alloys, synthetic polymers, glass ceramics or composite materials.
1)Sulphuric Acid
a) Uses of sulphuric acid in our daily life
Manufacture of fertilizers
1. Calcium dihydrogen phosphate (super phosphate) 3. Potassium Sulphate is prepared from the
is prepared from the reaction between sulphuric reaction between Sulphuric acid and
acid and tricalcium phosphate : potassium hydroxide.
2H2 SO4 +Ca3(PO4) Ca(H2PO4)2 + 2CaSO4 H2SO4 + 2KOH K2SO4 + 2H2O
Calcium Dihydrogen Phosphate Potassium sulphate
2. Ammonium Sulphate is prepared from the reaction
between sulphuric acid and aqueous ammonia Z
H2SO4 + 2NH3 (NH4)2SO4
Ammonium Sulphate
Manufacture of Manufacture of white
detergen (synthetic pigmentin paint barium
The Uses of Sulphuric Acid in Our Daily sulphate, BaSO4
cleaning agents)
Life
Sulphuric acid reacts
with hydrocarbon to The neutralisation
produces sulphonic between sulphuric acid
acid. Sulphonic acid is In school laboratories
and barium hydroxide
then neutralized with Manufacture of 1. As a strong acid produces barium
sodium hydroxide to synthetic fibres 2. As a drying or sulphate.
produce the detergent dehydrating
Rayon is an example agent
of a synthetic fibre
3. As an oxidizing
that is produced agent
from the action of
4. As a
sulphuric acid on sulphonating
cellulose
agent
5. As a catalyst
b)Flowchart of the Contact process
Sulphur or metal sulphide
burned in air
i.
Sulphur dioxide, SO2
i.V2O5 as the catalyst
ii.temperature of 450˚C – 550˚C
iii.pressure of 1 atmosphere
Sulphur trioxide, SO3
dissolved in concentrated H 2SO4
Oleum, H2S2O7
diluted with equal volume of H2O
Concentrated sulphuric acid, H2SO4
c)
i) Main sources of sulphur dioxide
burning
burning ofof
fossil fuels
fossil fuels
burning
burning of
of main
products
products sources of waste
waste gases
gases
manufactured
manufactured sulphuric from
from factories
factories
from sulphuric
from sulphuric
acid
acid
dioxide
extraction
extraction of
of
metal
metal from
from
their sulphide
their sulphide
ores
ores
ii. Effect of sulphur dioxide towards human health
coughing
coughing
effect of
sulphur
chest
chest
bronchitis dioxide pains
towards
human health
shortness
of breath
iii) How acid rain is formed from sulphur dioxide ?
- Acid rain is formed when sulphur dioxide gas dissolves in atmospheric water to produce
sulphurous acid, H2SO3 and sulphuris acid, H2SO4. The presence of these acid in rain water
causes acid rain.
iv) Effect of acid rain
corrodes concrete
buildings and metal
structures
acid rain flows into
lakes and rivers,
this increasesbthe
destroys trees and
acidity of water
plants in forest
and may kill fish
and other aquatic
living things
decrease the pH of
reacts with the soil which
minerals in the soil becomes acidic ,
to produce salts unsuitable for
with are leached growth of plants
out of the top soil and destroys the
roots of plants
2) Ammonia
i. The main uses of ammonia
To manufacture
nitrogenous
fertilisers
Used in the The liquid form is
manufacture of used as a cooling
synthetic fibre agent(refrigerant)
such as nylon in refrigerators
As a raw
As a cleaning Main material for the
agent to manufacture of
remove
uses of nitric acid in
grease ammonia the oswald
process
To product an
To be
ammonium
converted into
chloride used
nitric acid used
as an
As an alkali to for making
electrolight in
prevent to explosives
dry cells
coagulation of
latex so that
latex can
remain in the
liquid form
ii. The properties of ammonia
ammonia gas reacts with
hydrogen chloride gas to is alkaline in property and
THE PROPERTIES OF form white fumes of react with dilute acids in
AMMONIA ammonium chloride. neutralisation to produce
NHз + salts.
HNOз→ NH₄Cl
aqueous solutions of
ammonia produces OHˉ
very soluble in water, an
ions to reacts with metal
inverted filter funnel is used
colourless and pungent gas ions (except Na⁺ ion, K⁺ ion
to prevent the suction of
and Ca²⁺ ion ) forming
water
precipitates of metal
hydroxides
some metal hydroxides
dissolve in water to
such as zinc hydroxide and
produce a weak alkali. A 0.1
changes moist red litmus copper (II) hydroxide
mol dmˉ³ ammonia solution
paper to blue(alkaline gas) dissolve in excess aqueous
has a pH value about 10.
ammonia to form
NHз + H₂O = + OHˉ
complexes
iii.
d)
i . Example of ammonium fertilizers :
- Ammonium sulphate
- Ammonium nitrate
-
ii . To measure the effectiveness of ammonium fertiisers
- By the percentage of nitrogen by mass in them. The fertilizers with a higher percentage of
nitrogen is more effective.
Example :
Calculate the percentage by mass of nitrogen in ammonium sulphate,(NH₄)₂SO₄ . [Relative atomic
mass : N,14 ; H,1;S,32;O,16]
Solution :
Relative molecular mass of (NH₄)₂SO₄
=2[14+4(1)] + 32 + 4(16) = 132
1 mol (NH₄)₂SO₄ consists of 2 mol atoms of nitrogen.
Percentage of nitrogen in 1 mol of (NH₄)₂SO₄
2(14)
= ×100 %=21.2 %
132
iii) Prepare ammonium nitrate
3)Alloys
