Question

Explain the oxidising behaviour of conc. sulphuric acid.

Answer 1

Concentrated sulphuric acid acts as a strong oxidising agent. It oxidises substances by accepting electrons and itself gets reduced, usually to sulphur dioxide (SO₂).

For example, with copper:

\[\ce{Cu + 2H2SO4 (conc.) → CuSO4 + SO2 + 2H2O}\]

Here, Cu is oxidised to Cu²⁺, while sulphur in H₂SO₄ is reduced from +6 to +4 in SO₂.