Sulfuric Acid and Magnesium Sulfate Esayy

SULFURIC ACID AND MAGNESIUM SULPHATE
BY
I GUSTI AYU AGUSTINA BUDIANTARI (1013031022)
Introduction
Sulfuric acid and magnesium sulfate are very common chemicals for the scientists.
Both of these chemicals contain sulphate ion. Sulfuric acid is strong acid with the chemical
formula H2SO4. It also has historical name oil of vitriol. It is useful in daily life such as for
lead acid batteries for vehicles, ore processing, fertilizer manufacturing, and chemical
synthesis. This chemical is very dangerous because it is very corrosive chemical. On the other
hand magnesium sulfate with the chemical formula MgSO4 or often called Epsom salt
because come from Epsom town. It is formed by reaction between Mg and H 2SO4 called
single displacement reaction. Epsom salt is famous used for treatment like bath salt or foot
bath. This chemical also used as coagulant in making tofu. This essay is going to tell more
specific about these chemical are. Especially like the types of chemical bonding, the
properties of these compounds, the crystal structures, the similarities and differences, and the
uses of both compounds in life or laboratory.
The Structure, Chemical Bonding, and the Properties of Sulfuric Acid
Sulfuric acid is covalent chemical that mean has covalent bonding with every atoms
that composing this chemical. The atoms that compose H2SO4 are two hydrogens atoms, a
sulphur atom, and four oxygens atoms. So the line Lewis structure and three dimensional
ball of H2SO4 are:
Oxygen Sulfur
Hydrogen
Lewis structure 3 D Ball
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/sulfuricacid
The Lewis structure describes how many electrons that are used together for completing
duplet, octet and extensible octet rules. The using of electrons pairs together called covalent
1
bonding. The Lewis structure of oil of vitriol shows that there double bond between oxygens
and sulphur because they use two pairs electrons together. The others show single bond
between oxygens and sulphur also between hydrogens and oxygens because they use one
pair electron together. The extensible octet rule is achieved by sulphur atom because the use
more than eight electrons exactly twelve electrons. This atom can achieve extensible octet
because it is placed at period three so beside it has 3s and 3p orbital also has 3d orbital.
Sulfuric acid can be produced by some steps of reactions. First by burning sulfur that
produce SO2 gas, then SO2 gas is oxidized by O2 gas that produce SO3 gas and finally SO3 gas
is hydrated by H2O gas that produce H2SO4 gas then it is condensed to produce H2SO4 liquid.
The reactions are:
S(s) + O2(g) → SO2(g) (I)
2 SO2(g) + O2(g) → 2 SO3(g) (II)
SO3(g) + H2O(g) → H2SO4(g) (III)
H2SO4(g) → H2SO4(l) (IV)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfuric acid.
Sulfuric acid also can be produced by dissolving SO2 gas into H2O2 that produce H2SO4. The
reaction is SO2(g) + H2O2(l) → H2SO4(l). This technique usually use in laboratory.
The physical and chemical properties of sulfuric acid are listed on the tables below:
Table 1 physical properties of H2SO4 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfuric acid).
The Physical Properties
Appearances Colorless and odorless liquid
Boiling point
337 °C, 610 K, 639 °F
Melting point
10 °C, 283 K, 50 °F
Density 1.84 g/cm3
Solubility Miscible
Molecular weight 98 gram/mol
Table 2 chemical properties of H2SO4 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfuric acid).

The Chemical Properties
Chemical formula H2SO4
Acidity −3, 1.99
Hazards Toxic and corrosive
The Structure, Chemical Bonding, and the Properties of Magnesium Sulphate
2
Magnesium sulphate called Epsom salt because it can form heptahydrate epsomite
(MgSO4·7H2O). It has different chemical bond. It has ionic bond because the bond consists of
cations and anions in which Mg2+ as a cation and SO42- as an anion.
MgSO42-(aq) → Mg2+(aq) + SO42-(aq)
The process to form this compound can be described by chemical reaction below:
Mg(s) + H2SO4(aq) → MgSO4(aq) + H2(g) (Introduction to College Chemistry, 210)
This reaction called single displacement reaction because Magnesium replaces the position of
hydrogen in H2SO4. Magnesium sulphate is white powder chemical. It also has crystal
structure called monoclinic structure.
Monoclinic
Sulfur Oxygen
Monoclinic 3 D Ball
MgSO4
Magnesium ion
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/magnesiumsulfate
The physical and chemical properties of magnesium sulphate are listed on the tables
below:
Table 3 the physical properties of MgSO4 ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfuric acid).
The Physical Properties
Appearances White crystalline solid
Melting point 1124 °C (anhydrous)
200 °C (monohydrate)
150 °C (heptahydrate)
2 °C (11-hydrate)
Density
2.66 g/cm3 (anhydrous)
2.445 g/cm3 (monohydrate)
1.68 g/cm3 (heptahydrate)
1.512 g/cm3 (11-hydrate)
3
Solubility 0.116 g/L
Molecular weight 120 gram/mol
Table 4 the chemical properties of MgSO4 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/sulfuric acid).

The Chemical Properties
Chemical formula MgSO4
Acidity -
Hazards -
The Similarities and the Differences of Sulfuric Acid and Magnesium Sulphate
Sulfuric Acid Magnesium Sulphate
1. The similarities are:

 Both of these chemicals are dissolve in water
 Both of these chemicals are electrolyte solutions
2. The differences are:
Sulphuric acid and magnesium sulphate have many different properties like the molar
mass, boiling or melting point, states, chemical bonding and chemical formula. The complete
differences are listed on the table below:
No Sulfuric Acid Magnesium Sulphate
1 Has chemical formula H2SO4 Has chemical formula MgSO4
2 Has covalent bond Has ionic bond
3 Has no crystal structure Has monoclinic crystal struture
5 The molecular weight is 98 gram/mol The molecular weight is 120 gram/mol
6 The melting point is 100C The melting point is 1124 °C
(anhydrous)
3
7 The density is 1.84 g/cm The density is 2.66 g/cm3 (anhydrous)
8 The appearances are colorless and The appearances are white powder or
odorless liquid crystalline solid
9 Hazardous chemical No hazardous chemical
The Uses of Sulfuric Acid and Magnesium Sulphate

Sulfuric acid and magnesium sulphate are useful in laboratory and daily life. Sulfuric
acid used to industrial and laboratory process. The uses are for lead acid batteries on vehicles,
4
ore processing, fertilizer manufacturing, and chemical synthesis. On the other hand
magnesium sulphate has important uses too. It can be used for body treatments like salt bath
and foot bath, also use in food manufacturing as coagulant in making tofu. In addition, it is
important in medical use also.
Conclusion
Sulfuric acid and magnesium sulphate have differences and similarities. Both of these
compounds when dissolved in water have electrolyte characteristic. In the other hand these
compounds have differences in the safety to use. Magnesium sulphate is more peaceful
chemical than sulfuric acid because it is non-corrosive chemical.
References
Chang, R. (2004). Kimia Dasar. Jakarta: Erlangga.
Wolfe, D. H. (1976). Introduction to College Chemistry. New York: McGraw-Hill Book

Company.
Anonym. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/sulfuric acid. Accessed at Monday, 10th October 2011.
Anonym.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/magnesium sulfate. Accessed at Monday, 10th October

2011.

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SULFURIC ACID AND MAGNESIUM SULPHATE

The Structure, Chemical Bonding, and the Properties of Sulfuric Acid

Lewis structure 3 D Ball

Table 2 chemical properties of H2SO4 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfuric acid).

Table 4 the chemical properties of MgSO4 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/sulfuric acid).

Sulfuric Acid Magnesium Sulphate

1. The similarities are:

The Uses of Sulfuric Acid and Magnesium Sulphate

Wolfe, D. H. (1976). Introduction to College Chemistry. New York: McGraw-Hill Book

Anonym. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/sulfuric acid. Accessed at Monday, 10th October 2011.

Anonym.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/magnesium sulfate. Accessed at Monday, 10th October

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