Class 10 Science - ICSE-CHEMISTRY
Study of Compounds – Sulphuric Acid
The chapter 'Study of Compounds – Sulphuric Acid' in ICSE Class 10 Chemistry explores the preparation, properties, and uses of one of the most important industrial chemicals, often called the 'King of Chemicals'. Students learn the Contact Process for its large-scale manufacture, its behavior as a non-volatile acid, and its unique properties such as being a dehydrating agent, oxidizing agent, and displacing agent. This chapter is vital for board exams as it heavily features chemical equations, observation-based questions on color changes or gas evolution, and reasoning questions regarding its versatile chemical nature.
Start Learning FreeKey Concepts
Contact Process
The industrial method for manufacturing sulphuric acid involving the catalytic oxidation of sulphur dioxide to sulphur trioxide, which is then absorbed in concentrated acid.
Non-volatile Nature
Sulphuric acid has a high boiling point and is non-volatile, which makes it ideal for preparing volatile acids like hydrochloric acid and nitric acid from their salts.
Dehydrating Property
Concentrated sulphuric acid has a strong affinity for water and removes chemically combined water or elements of water from organic compounds like sugar and blue vitriol.
Oxidizing Property
Hot and concentrated sulphuric acid acts as a strong oxidizing agent, oxidizing both metals and non-metals to their respective oxides or acids while getting reduced to sulphur dioxide.
Acidic Properties
As a dibasic acid, sulphuric acid ionizes in two steps to form two series of salts: normal sulphates and acid sulphates.
Important Formulas
Board Exam Info
In ICSE Chemistry (Paper 2), this chapter typically carries around 4 to 6 marks. Questions frequently appear as balanced chemical equations, observations for specific reactions (like charring of sugar or action on copper), reasoning questions on why it is stored in glass containers or used to dry gases, and steps of the Contact Process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is sulphur trioxide dissolved in concentrated sulphuric acid instead of water directly during the Contact Process?
Dissolving SO3 directly in water is an exothermic reaction that produces a dense, corrosive fog of sulphuric acid mist which is difficult to condense. Dissolving it in concentrated acid forms oleum safely, which is then diluted with water.
What is the role of Vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) in the Contact Process?
V2O5 acts as a catalyst that speeds up the conversion of sulphur dioxide and oxygen into sulphur trioxide at an optimum temperature of 450 degrees Celsius.
Why can't concentrated sulphuric acid be used to dry hydrogen sulphide gas?
Concentrated sulphuric acid is a strong oxidizing agent. When used with hydrogen sulphide (a reducing agent), it oxidizes H2S to free sulphur and gets reduced itself to sulphur dioxide and water.
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