sulphur dioxide

British

noun

Systematic name: sulphur(IV) oxide. a colourless soluble pungent gas produced by burning sulphur. It is both an oxidizing and a reducing agent and is used in the manufacture of sulphuric acid, the preservation of a wide range of foodstuffs ( E220 ), bleaching, and disinfecting. Formula: SO 2

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Activists link the complex and its emissions of particulate matter and sulphur dioxide to an estimated 16,530 premature deaths.

From Barron's • Feb. 19, 2026

They suggest that one of their cooling credits - two grams of sulphur dioxide - will “offset one tonne of carbon dioxide warming for one year”.

From BBC • Jul. 20, 2024

Nornickel said smelters in the Arctic city of Norilsk release roughly 1.8 million tonnes of sulphur dioxide emissions annually.

From Reuters • Oct. 25, 2023

This not only releases large amounts of CO2, but also produces toxic gases such as sulphur dioxide.

From Science Daily • Oct. 20, 2023

Before the Bp. on Ch. it emits sulphur dioxide and becomes covered with oxide of tin.

From The Elements of Blowpipe Analysis by Getman, Frederick Hutton

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