Question

Sulphur on reaction with concentrated Sulphuric acid and forms sulfur dioxide. According to this reaction, Sulphuric acid is behaving as:
A) Drying agent
B) Oxidizing agent
C) Dehydrating agent
D) None of these

Answer 1

Hint:At first we will write what is given in the question. Then we will write about the Sulphuric acid. We will write its reaction with the Sulphur and then we will see the products forming. Then we will know what type of reaction it is. Then we will know what the Sulphuric acid is behaving as. We will choose the correct option.


Complete solution:
We are provided with a reaction. The Sulphur is reacted with the concentrated Sulphuric acid. And forms the sulfur dioxide. We need to find what the Sulphuric acid is behaving as.
Step2. The Sulphuric acid is a strong acid. It is colorless, smells less and has a viscous liquid. It is soluble in water. It releases a lot of energy when mixed with the water. It is one of the most important chemicals in the industry. It is used to make fertilizers and mineral processing and chemical synthesis.
Step3. The Sulphuric acid is a strong oxidizing agent. It oxidizes the non-metals like carbon and sulfur. The reaction is given below.
$S + 2{H_2}S{O_4} \to 3S{O_2} + 2{H_2}O$
On oxidizing it converts into the Sulphuric acid and water. The Sulphuric acid oxidizes the Sulphur and increases the oxidation number of Sulphur from zero to plus four.

So, clearly we can conclude that the correct answer is Option B.


Note: Sulphur dioxide is the toxic gas. It is naturally released during volcanic eruption. It is bent in structure. Resonance effect is seen in this. The bond order is $1.5$.
By mixing in the rain water along with oxides of nitrogen,it causes the acid rain.