Industrial Information

Sulfuric acid is of immense industrial importance. Because it has three chemical functions and is very cheap to produce, Sulfuric acid is used at some stage of the manufacture of most products. It is said that the economic prosperity of a country can be assessed by its consumption of sulfuric acid. It is manufactured by the Contact Process.

Hydrogen peroxide H₂O₂ is used to bleach hair and textiles, as a mild disinfectant and in pollution control.

Sulfur hexafluoride SF₆ cannot be ionized by electric fields and so is widely used as a gaseous insulator in transformers and electrical switchgear.

2. Oxygen

Oxygen is the element of the second period, its formula is 1s²2s²2p⁴.

				2p
		2s		↑↓	↑↓			↑
		↑↓
1s
↑↓

On the assumption of external electron shell structure (graphic presentation) and electronegativity of Oxygen, it is characterized by oxidation number equal to 2-, moreover, in composition with Fluorine the oxidation number of Oxygen will be 2+ (for example, OF₂) but in peroxides it will be 1- (for example, H₂O₂) or, sometimes, -½ (for example, superoxide KO₂).

Oxygen, like Fluorine, forms compounds with all elements except Helium, Neon and Argon. Atomic Oxygen is extremely active.

In elemental state Oxygen is mostly characterized as the oxidizing agent in the reactions:

1. 4FeS + 7O₂ = 2Fe₂O₃ + 4SO₂

O20 + 4  2O2-	7 (reduction);
S2- - 6  S+4 Fe2+ - 1  Fe3+	4 (oxidation).

_{2) 2 KI + O3 + H2O = I2 + 2 KOH + O2}

O0 + 2  O2-	1 (reduction);
2I- - 2  I20	1 (oxidation).

Oxygen compounds in which the oxidation number is equal to 1- are called peroxides. For example, Hydrogen peroxide H₂O₂, where covalent and non-polar bonds in molecule connect two atoms of Oxygen.

Water solution of Hydrogen peroxide (perhydrol) presents weak dibasic acid:

H₂O₂ ↔ H⁺ + HO₂^-;

HO₂^- ↔ H⁺ + O₂^2-.

Medium of oxidation number of Oxygen in peroxides causes its oxidation-reduction duality in the reactions. H₂O₂ is the reducing agent:

H₂O₂ + 2KMnO₄ + 2KOH = 2K₂MnO₄ + 2H₂O + O₂

Mn7+ +  Mn6+	2 (reduction);
2O- - 2  O20	1 (oxidation).

but in presence of strong reducing agent it is oxidizing agent:

H₂O₂ + 2KI + H₂SO₄ = I₂ + K₂SO₄ + 2H₂O

2O- + 2  2O2-	1 (reduction);
2I- - 2  I20	1 (oxidation).

Ozone is also a highly reactive and powerful oxidizing agent which can cleave the C=C double bond.