The chemical symbol for sulfuric acid is H?SO?

Sulfuric acid is one of the most reactive binary inorganic strong acids and can react with most metals. High concentrations of sulfuric acid are strongly hygroscopic and can be used as a dehydrating agent to carbonize carbohydrate-containing substances such as wood, paper, cotton and linen fabrics, and biological flesh. When mixed with water, it also releases a lot of heat energy. It has strong corrosive and oxidizing properties, so it should be used with caution.

Production of sulfuric acid:

In the early 18th century, the production of sulfuric acid relied on the following method: the metal sulfide ores were burned to become low-priced sulfate salts, which could be decomposed into the corresponding metal hydroxides and gaseous sulfur oxides at certain temperatures, and then used to produce sulfuric acid from the oxides.

Unfortunately, the large cost of this process prevented the widespread use of concentrated sulfuric acid. An early molecular diagram of sulfuric acid, drawn by John Dalton in 1808, showed that sulfuric acid had a sulfur atom at the center and was ****valently bonded to three oxygen atoms.

Later, in 1831, Peregrine Phillips, a British vinegar merchant, came up with the idea of a contact method to make sulfur trioxide as well as sulfuric acid at a much lower cost, a method that is widely used today.

Reference: Baidu Encyclopedia-Sulfuric Acid