sulfurous acid

American

noun

Chemistry.

a colorless liquid, H 2 SO 3 , having a suffocating odor, obtained by dissolving sulfur dioxide in water, known mainly by its salts, which are sulfites: used chiefly in organic synthesis and as a bleach.

sulfurous acid Scientific

A colorless solution of sulfur dioxide in water, characterized by a suffocating sulfurous odor. It is used as a bleaching agent, preservative, and disinfectant. Chemical formula: H ₂ SO ₃ .

Etymology

Origin of sulfurous acid

First recorded in 1780–90

Example Sentences

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sulfurous acid

Heating a solution of sulfurous acid expels the sulfur dioxide.

From Textbooks ● Feb. 14, 2019

Calcium carbonate reacts with sulfurous acid as follows:

From Textbooks ● Feb. 14, 2019

Sulfur dioxide dissolves in water to form a solution of sulfurous acid, as expected for the oxide of a nonmetal.

From Textbooks ● Feb. 14, 2019

Which is a stronger acid, sulfurous acid or sulfuric acid?

From Textbooks ● Feb. 14, 2019

When sulfur is burned, a gas is formed known as sulfurous acid, and until the last few years, it was the most common of all disinfecting agencies.

From Rural Hygiene by Henry N. (Henry Neely) Ogden

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023