Sulfuric acid and potassium hydroxide, a liquid acid and solid base respectively, form water and potassium sulfate when mixed. Sulfuric acid is commonly produced and used in chemical reactions, while potassium hydroxide is used in soap making and as an electrolyte in batteries. The reaction between the two forms a salt, potassium sulfate, and water, which are safer and useful compounds. Potassium sulfate is a popular fertilizer that supplies potassium and sulfur to plants without harmful chlorine.
Sulfuric acid and potassium hydroxide are different in many ways. One is a liquid acid while the other is a solid base. However, when mixed they form two useful compounds – water and potassium sulfate – which are also safer than their original constituents.
Two hydrogen atoms, one sulfur atom, and four oxygen atoms comprise sulfuric acid, which is the most commonly produced chemical in the United States. It is an important part of many other chemical reactions. Sulfuric acid is extremely good at separating itself and other chemicals to form new chemicals.
Potassium hydroxide, also known as caustic potash, typically comes in solid flakes and is composed of one atom each of potassium, oxygen, and hydrogen. It has a tendency to absorb water and is frequently used in soap making. Other industrial uses include as an electrolyte in batteries, such as those in the Toyota Prius, and as an ingredient in the production of biodiesel fuels.
The chemical reaction of sulfuric acid and potassium hydroxide is referred to as acid-base neutralization. In these types of reactions, the acid and base mix to form water and a salt, though not necessarily table salt. Sulfuric acid and potassium hydroxide make the salt, potassium sulfate. To be more precise, two molecules of potassium hydroxide combine with one atom of sulfuric acid. The two potassium atoms go to the sulfate ion, which is a charged particle consisting of a single sulfur atom bonded to four oxygen atoms of sulfuric acid, and the two hydrogen atoms of the acid molecule combine with the two oxygen atoms and two hydrogen atoms left over from the potassium hydroxide ion to form two water molecules.
When sulfuric acid and potassium hydroxide combine, the products of the reaction are both much safer than the inputs. Water is, of course, a useful compound that is neither corrosive nor poisonous. Potassium sulphate is one of the most popular fertilizers in the world. Sulfur potash, which is an alternative name for potassium sulfate, supplies both potassium and sulfur to growing plants without flooding them with potentially harmful chlorine, like the other popular type of potassium, potash.
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