Elementary Productions: Synthesis of Sulfur Trioxide

Volume has been muted due to high volume of exhaust- fan.

In this video, an alternative way of Sulfur Trioxide synthesis is demonstrated.
Unfortunately, my synthesis was not a complete success, although I did get Sulfur Trioxide. The synthesis is, despite this, still valid.
The obtained, tainted, Sulfur Trioxide can be re-distilled for purification.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• sulfur
• trioxide
• oleum
• synthesis
• persulfate
• peroxydisulfate
• distillation
• awesome
• chemistry
• interesting
• experiment
• cool
• chemical

[11to]

what is the difference of SO3 and oleum?

[mabakken]

Oleum is SO3 dissolved in Sulfuric acid.

SO3 is simply the isolated anhydride of Sulfuric acid. =)

[zasx20]

oleum is any highly concentraited sulfur coumpound right?

[mabakken]

Oleum is basically Sulfuric acid containing an excessive amount of Sulfur Trioxide. =)

[tTatmosT]

nice vid but one question, I want to be sure I'm not wrong...

if u inhale sulfur trioxide in a gaseos (I can't spell the word) state u will die or sufer great burns to ur lungs right?

[mabakken]

Depends on how much Sulfur Trioxide we're talking about, but you would for sure suffer great burns, and most likely a very unpleasant death!

[gogo311]

@b1912313 It depends on glass quality.

[giuliodice1]

Un bel metodo per produrre anidride solforica!, molto sbrigativo!

Un altro buon metodo è per pirolisi (cioè riscaldano) del bisolfato di potassio prima a 315°C per sottrarre acqua, poi a 460°C per decomporre il pirosolfato di potassio in solfato di potassio e anidride solforica.

[b1912313]

Is it safe to heat the flask directly on fire? Won't it just break apart?

[themert123456]

Hello,

i have Sodium persulfate. Can i make it also with it?

[anuraganimax]

SEXY

[Sviolinist]

Ah yes- --- the lubricants has mucked things up. Well, I do not know if parafilm or teflon will work here. Experiment! Lol. Don't you love being a scientist? I knew something was getting carbonized. Do you think applying vacuum and hooking up a drying filter to the system might cut down on the sulfuric acid content of things? Either way, you are doing splendid work here.

[Sviolinist]

I've found Anhydrous Magnesium Sulfate and Sodium Persulfate to be quite good. The way you are reacting these things in the video seems brutal. I believe the best way to do this sort of reaction is to 1st grind the reactants together into a uniform mixture, and then line the reactants into the flask so that the reaction takes place in a streamlined manner. You seem to have just thrown stuff in a flask... thus insuring that rxns are taking place at different paces. Hence, acid is mucking it up.

[adriiPortillo]

@Santrielus. How about this one?

Chlorine + Sulfur --> Sulfur dichloride.

Ethylene + Sulfur dichloride ---> Sulfur mustard.

Remember mustard gas is very inespecific to all alquilating agents, including the sulfurs and nitrogen mustards. I'm not sure but it haves some to do with "onion", ammonium, sulfonium, things like that.

[Santrielus]

Sulfur Trioxide -> Sulfur Chloride -> Sulfur Ethylene -> Mustard gas :P