sulphuric acid

British

noun

Systematic name: sulphuric(VI) acid. a colourless dense oily corrosive liquid produced by the reaction of sulphur trioxide with water and used in accumulators and in the manufacture of fertilizers, dyes, and explosives. Formula: H 2 SO 4

"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

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Roughly half the world’s sulphuric acid is used to make phosphate fertilizers, while about 10% is used for metal processing, Dhar says.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

Products passing through the giant site range from insulin capsules and lifestyle drugs to medicated sunblock and drums of sulphuric acid.

From Barron's • Apr. 5, 2026

There are fears of water contamination after a bridge collapsed in northern Brazil at the weekend, sending lorries carrying thousands of litres of pesticides and sulphuric acid into the river below.

From BBC • Dec. 24, 2024

“We have gathered to say no to those who offer concentrated sulphuric acid instead of raspberries and honey.”

From Seattle Times • Sep. 11, 2021

Silver and sulphuric acid are the other chief products; nickel and gold are also found in small quantities.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 4 "Hero" to "Hindu Chronology" by Various

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