Abstract
Sulfuric acid was known to medieval alchemists under a variety of names including oil of vitriol and spirit of vitriol. These substances were produced by the dry distillation of minerals including iron (bivalent) sulfate heptahydrate, FeSO4•7H2O known as green vitriol and copper (bivalent) sulfate pentahydrate, CuSO4•5H2O known as blue vitriol. When heated, these compounds decompose into iron and copper oxides, respectively, giving off water and sulfur trioxide, the two of which combine to produce a dilute solution of sulfuric acid. Preparations like these have been ascribed to alchemists including the twelfth century Arab Abou Bekr al-Rhases and the thirteenth century German Albertus Magnus.
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© 2013 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
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Ashar, N.G., Golwalkar, K.R. (2013). Current Status of Manufacture of Sulfuric Acid. In: A Practical Guide to the Manufacture of Sulfuric Acid, Oleums, and Sulfonating Agents. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02042-6_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02042-6_1
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Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
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Online ISBN: 978-3-319-02042-6
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