Ferric hydroxide and sulfuric acid

Iron hydroxide and sulfuric acid are two different chemical substances. In daily life, iron hydroxide is widely used. It can be used as medicine and painting pigment. Sulfuric acid is also widely used. It can be used as chemical fertilizer for crops, in industry, and as explosives. In ancient times, people used sulfuric acid to make rocket launchers for use in wars. Let's talk about the difference between ferric hydroxide and sulfuric acid.

Ferric hydroxide is amphoteric but its alkalinity is stronger than acid. Freshly prepared ferric hydroxide is easily soluble in inorganic and organic acids, and is also soluble in hot concentrated alkali. Extremely strong oxidants (such as sodium hypochlorite) can oxidize freshly prepared ferric hydroxide into sodium ferrate Na2FeO4 in the +VI oxidation state in an alkaline medium. When heated, it gradually decomposes into iron oxide and water. It is insoluble in water, ether and ethanol, but soluble in acid. Its solubility in acid depends on the time of preparation. The newly prepared one is easily soluble in acid, but it becomes difficult to dissolve if it is left for a long time. Iron hydroxide can be used to make pigments, medicines, and arsenic antidotes, etc.

Sulfuric acid is one of the most active binary inorganic strong acids and can react with many metals. High concentration of sulfuric acid has strong water absorption capacity and can be used as a dehydrating agent to carbonize carbohydrate-containing materials such as wood, paper, cotton and linen fabrics, and biological skins and flesh. When mixed with water, it also releases a large amount of heat energy. It is highly corrosive and oxidizing, so use with caution. It is an important industrial raw material that can be used to make fertilizers, medicines, explosives, pigments, detergents, batteries, etc. It is also widely used in industries such as petroleum purification, metal smelting, and dyes. It is often used as a chemical reagent and can be used as a dehydrating agent and sulfonating agent in organic synthesis. Colorless viscous liquid, highly corrosive, with a pungent odor, easily soluble in water to produce dilute sulfuric acid.

Iron hydroxide is used in the manufacture of medicines, pigments, and as an arsenic antidote, etc. Its colloid can be used for water purification.

Sulfuric acid is used in the metallurgical industry and metal processing. In the metallurgical industry sector, especially in the production process of non-ferrous metals, sulphuric acid is required. For example, when refining copper, zinc, cadmium, and nickel by electrolysis, sulfuric acid is needed as the electrolyte. The refining of certain precious metals also requires sulfuric acid to dissolve other metals that are included. Before cold rolling, cold drawing and stamping in the steel industry, sulfuric acid must be used to remove iron oxide from the steel surface. When rolling thin plates, cold-drawn seamless steel pipes and other steel products with higher quality requirements, they must be washed with sulfuric acid every time they are rolled. In addition, seamed steel pipes, thin iron sheets, iron wires, etc. must be pickled with sulfuric acid before galvanizing. In some metal machining processes, such as nickel plating, chrome plating and other metal parts, sulfuric acid is also needed to clean the rust on the surface. In the ferrous metallurgical enterprise sector, steel that needs pickling generally accounts for about 5% to 6% of the total steel output, and the pickling of each ton of steel consumes about 30 to 50 kg of 98% sulfuric acid.