The reaction SO3(g)+H2 O(l) ⟶H2 SO4(a q) is the last step in the commercial production of sulfur

The reaction SO3(g)+H2 O(l) ⟶H2 SO4(a q) is the last step in...

The reaction $$ \mathrm{SO}_{3}(g)+\mathrm{H}_{2} \mathrm{O}(l) \longrightarrow \mathrm{H}_{2} \mathrm{SO}_{4}(a q) $$ is the last step in the commercial production of sulfuric acid. The enthalpy change for this reaction is $-227 \mathrm{kJ} .$ In designing a sulfuric acid plant, is it necessary to provide for heating or cooling of the reaction mixture? Explain.

The reaction
$$
\mathrm{SO}_{3}(g)+\mathrm{H}_{2} \mathrm{O}(l) \longrightarrow \mathrm{H}_{2} \mathrm{SO}_{4}(a q)
$$
is the last step in the commercial production of sulfuric acid. The enthalpy change for this reaction is $-227 \mathrm{kJ} .$ In designing a sulfuric acid plant, is it necessary to provide for heating or cooling of the reaction mixture? Explain.

Key Concepts

Exothermic Reaction

An exothermic reaction is one that releases heat into the surroundings. Recognizing that a reaction is exothermic is crucial for design because the heat released can significantly affect reactor temperature, potentially leading to safety hazards or deviations from desired operating conditions if not managed properly.

Reaction Enthalpy

The reaction enthalpy quantifies the heat change during a chemical reaction at constant pressure. A large negative value indicates that the reaction releases a considerable amount of heat. Understanding this parameter helps engineers decide whether additional cooling or heating measures are necessary in the reactor design to maintain control over the reaction temperature.

Thermal Management in Chemical Reactors

Thermal management involves using heating or cooling systems to control the temperature within a reactor. In industrial processes, effective heat exchange mechanisms are essential to dissipate excess heat from exothermic reactions, ensuring safe operation, optimal reaction rates, and consistent product quality.

Transcript

00:01 Okay, so in this question, we're given a commercial reaction for sulfuric acid.

00:07 So they give us the original, or actually it's the last step of a series of of chemical reactions.

00:14 We have sulfur trioxide in the presence of liquid water.

00:18 We'll give us sulfuric acid.

00:22 That should be aquaous.

00:23 I left that out.

00:24 Let me go add that real quick.

00:26 We have aquis sulfuric acid.

00:33 And then it is, they give us an infelb change of negative 227 kilojoules.

00:40 Now that means that when we see a negative delta h, we know that energy is, in the form of heat, is given off as a product or basically as a byproduct.

00:52 So i put that on the chemical reaction side.

00:56 I'm going to put it on the product side of things.

00:59 So we know that heat is a product.

01:01 Now, according to les chattelier, we have to consider the fact that if we add heat, we're actually adding a product and the reaction will shift over to the left.

01:13 La chathletier says if you add a stress to the system in this particular case is a chemical reaction.

01:20 The chemical reaction will remove that stress or try and even it out, basically.

01:25 So in this case, if we add heat in this particular environment where this reaction is carried out, we would actually end up creating more reactants.

01:36 And we don't want that because we do ultimately want sulfuric acid...

Please give Ace some feedback