Preparing H2SO4: Burning Match Heads?

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on the preparation of sulfuric acid (H2SO4) from burning match heads, which contain sulfur. The proposed method involves generating sulfur dioxide (SO2) through combustion and subsequently reacting it with water to form sulfurous acid (H2SO3), followed by heating to produce sulfuric acid. However, participants emphasize that this method is impractical due to impurities in match heads and suggest safer alternatives, such as electrolysis of sulfate solutions or purchasing commercially available sulfuric acid products like Clear-Line drain cleaner, which contains 98% H2SO4.

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  • Understanding of chemical reactions involving sulfur and sulfur dioxide
  • Knowledge of acid-base chemistry, specifically sulfuric and sulfurous acids
  • Familiarity with electrolysis processes and their applications
  • Basic laboratory safety and handling of chemicals
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  • Research the electrolysis of sulfate solutions for sulfuric acid production
  • Learn about the properties and uses of commercial sulfuric acid products
  • Investigate the chemical composition of match heads and their suitability for chemical synthesis
  • Explore alternative methods for synthesizing sulfuric acid, such as using hydrogen peroxide
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Chemistry enthusiasts, amateur chemists, and individuals interested in safe methods for synthesizing sulfuric acid or understanding its properties and applications.

thunderfvck
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Hi.
Okay, I would like to make some sulphuric acid. I know that I can probably find it OTC (and mixed with other potential CRAP), but it's more fun experimenting. I was reading a site which was discussing the preparation of sulphuric acid and it got me excited.
So, as far as I know, sulfur is in match head tips. And a bunch of other garbage including phosphorous. SO, can I simply burn a bunch of match heads and pass it through water to form sulphurous acid:

SO2 + H2O --> H2SO3

Then, according to this website, heat can be applied (150C) to the solution while being refluxed and...

3H2SO3 ---> 2H2SO4 + H2O + S

Which would yield me some pure sulfur in addition to some sulphuric acid, which would be very exciting. So, what do you think? Would it work? Well I guess it WOULD work provided I produce SO2 in my match head burnings. But there has got to be a lot of other stuff in that smoke, but I don't know. If I wanted pure sulphuric acid I could always collect enough of the sulfur that is formed in the reaction and just burn that.
Sooo...?
 
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How are you going to collect the SO2 if it's a gas?
 
Hmmm. Good question.
Okay, I guess I can do it a number of ways. A very unscientific way would be lighting the matches underneath a plastic ziplock bag so that all the smoke goes into the bag. THen I put the bag underwater and put a hole in it. I think that would work pretty nicely. If I saturate the bag with smoke then I'd be rocking. I can also just make the hole prior putting it under and then just submerge the bag (just so the hole has gone under) and squeeze at a nice rate. The smoke could be too hot though, and it would cause my bag to melt, but in that case I could always use plastic or something (a bottle).

I guess I could also fill a bottle with smoke, with a tube coming out the top going inside the water, and then invert the bottle into the water. THe water would force the smoke out the hole and into the tube which then goes to the water.

Not bad? Better ideas?
 
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No, this won't work. For starters you won't be making pure anything, as the match heads, if they contain sulphur at all, will have it as a minor constituent. Not to mention there is a difference between the composition of safety matches and strike-anywhere matches. Any sulphuric acid made from this route would be so impure as to be completey useless as a reagent in even the most low-tech chemistry lab.

If you insist on trying to synthesise this chemical, a better route would be to attempt electrolysis of a sulphate solution. this would have a better chance of yielding a product that could have some use in a home laboratory, and would certainly be a lot safer as a process.
 
...or to simply buy a Clear-Line drain cleaner product that's 98% H2SO4...
 
I need for simple method for H2so4 preparation
 
Consider dissolving SO2 formed by burning sulfur into a hydrogen peroxide solution.. this will oxidize the H2SO3 into H2SO4.. but really just buy it if you can...

Also consider just buying NaHSO4... it works great for a lot of things check this out: http://indiescience.org/chemtalk/index.php?topic=31.0
 
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