Question

In the contact process for the manufacture of sulphuric acid, sulfur trioxide is not converted to sulphuric acid by reacting it with water. Instead, a two steps procedure is used. write the equations for the two steps involved?

Answer 1

1. Contact process is the industrial method to produce sulfuric acid (In these two steps involve).
2. In these process platinum was original catalyst used in these.
3. Step 1 :$$\begin{gathered} {\mathrm{SO}}_3\left(\mathrm{g}\right)+{\mathrm{H}}_2{\mathrm{SO}}_4\left(\mathrm{l}\right)\to {\mathrm{H}}_2{\mathrm{S}}_2{\mathrm{O}}_7\left(\mathrm{l}\right) \\ (\mathrm{Sulfur}(\mathrm{Sulfuric}\left(\mathrm{Oleum}\right) \\ \mathrm{tri}-\mathrm{oxide})\mathrm{acid}) \end{gathered}$$(Step1 : when sulfur tri-oxide and sulfuric acid react to form oleum)
4. Step 2: $$\begin{gathered} {\mathrm{H}}_2{\mathrm{S}}_2{\mathrm{O}}_7\left(\mathrm{l}\right)+{\mathrm{H}}_2\mathrm{O}\left(\mathrm{l}\right)\to 2{\mathrm{H}}_2{\mathrm{SO}}_4\left(\mathrm{l}\right) \\ \left(\mathrm{Oleum}\right)\left(\mathrm{water}\right)(\mathrm{Sulfuric} \\ \mathrm{acid}) \end{gathered}$$ (Step2 : when oleum react with water to form concentrated sulfuric acid)