Diffusion of Sulfuric Acid in Concentrated Solutions

The restricted diffusion method was used to measure the differential diffusion coefficient of sulfuric acid in water at 25 ~ for the concentration range f rom 0.3 to 7.5 molar. The concentration gradients of diffusing species were observed by Rayleigh interferometry. Exper imenta l transport data are analyzed with concentrated solution theory of electrolytes in order to elucidate macroscopic transport characteristics of sulfuric acid in terms of specific binary interactions in solution. Results indicate that the transport properties of sulfuric acid are determined by the hydrogen ion-water molecule interaction. Aqueous sulfuric acid is an economical ly important chemical reagent. It is one of the largest vo lume chemical commodit ies, finding uses in fertilizer production, petro leum refining, extraction of metals f rom their ores, production of inorganic pigments, pickling of iron and steel, synthesis of surface-active agents, and as a reactant in the lead-acid storage battery. Recently, A rmenta-Deu et al. ~ measured the diffusion co