Which of the following is the correct formula for sulfuric acld? O H2SO3 O HSO 3 O HSO 4 O H2SO4
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
Correct Answer: ✅ H₂SO₄
Explanation:
Sulfuric acid is one of the most important industrial chemicals and is widely used in various processes such as fertilizer production, petroleum refining, chemical synthesis, and wastewater processing. The correct chemical formula for sulfuric acid is H₂SO₄.
To understand this, it helps to know a little about how acids are named and structured:
Sulfuric acid is a strong diprotic acid, meaning it has two hydrogen atoms that can dissociate in water to release hydrogen ions (H⁺). These hydrogen ions are what give acids their characteristic properties such as sour taste and reactivity with bases and metals.
The rest of the molecule, SO₄, is known as the sulfate ion. The sulfate ion is a polyatomic ion consisting of one sulfur atom bonded to four oxygen atoms, and it carries a charge of 2⁻. To balance this 2⁻ charge, two positively charged hydrogen ions (H⁺) are attached, resulting in the neutral molecule H₂SO₄.
Let’s briefly examine why the other options are incorrect:
- H₂SO₃ is sulfurous acid, not sulfuric acid. It contains the sulfite ion (SO₃²⁻), which has one fewer oxygen atom than the sulfate ion.
- HSO₃⁻ is the hydrogen sulfite ion, a conjugate base of sulfurous acid.
- HSO₄⁻ is the hydrogen sulfate ion, a conjugate base of sulfuric acid.
Each of these related compounds plays a different role in chemistry, but only H₂SO₄ is correctly called sulfuric acid. It is a very strong acid and completely dissociates in water, making it highly reactive and dangerous if not handled properly.
