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Sulfuric acid (food additive E513, vitriol) is a colorless, aggressive, oily liquid. This substance is of natural origin. It can easily be found in lakes that are located at the foot of active volcanoes. In laboratories, it is produced as a result of the reaction between sulfur and nitrate. Sulfuric acid melts already at 10,3 degrees Celsius, and boils and decomposes at almost 300 degrees Celsius. As a result of contact with water, abundant heat is released.
The study of sulfuric acid
The first written mention of an unusual substance was in the writings of the Arab alchemists Hayyan and Jabir. They noted that some acid gases can be freely obtained if iron vitriol or alum is ignited. Subsequently, around the 513th century, the experiment with calcination was carried out by the alchemist Ar-Razi. He calcined a mixture of copper and iron sulfate, obtaining a weak solution of sulfuric acid at the exit. After the Crusades, the knowledge of Ar-Razi came to Europe. Already in the XIII century, the alchemist Albert Magnus was able to improve this method of obtaining acid, which several centuries later became a food additive EXNUMX.
In parallel with Magnus, the alchemist Valentine also carried out his work. He noticed that when saltpeter and sulfur mixed in powder form are burned, a gas, sulfuric anhydride, is formed. If water absorbs it, sulfuric acid is formed. This production method was popular in the Soviet Union until 1955. At that time, chambers lined with lead were used for manufacturing (this metal does not dissolve in sulfuric acid).
Two centuries after Valentine and Albert Magnus, alchemists managed to extract sulfuric acid from sulfur pyrites. This material was more common than sulfur, which for 300 years ahead fixed the method of producing sulfur from pyrite as the main one. Nowadays, the substance can also be produced by oxidizing sulfur oxide and dissolving it in a 70% solution of an already prepared acid. The by-product of the reaction is oleum.
Emulsifier properties E513
In the modern food industry, E513 is used as a stabilizer. In addition to the combination of sulfur and nitrate, under laboratory conditions, the production of sulfuric acid is carried out as follows: first, iron pyrite is roasted, as a result of which a compound of sulfur and hydrogen is obtained at the output. Oxidation of this compound causes the formation of sulfuric anhydride, which, when dissolved in water, gives sulfuric acid.
The substance has high hygroscopic characteristics. When it comes into contact with paper and wood, it causes charring, and when it comes into contact with human skin, it causes burns. Such qualities of it are the reason for increased safety requirements during packaging and transportation. Food additive E513 is allowed to be transported in the following containers:
- steel containers and barrels;
- containers made of polymers enclosed in a metal frame;
- steel containers with PTFE gaskets in the neck;
- other containers made of materials resistant to sulfuric acid.
Major manufacturers of additive E513
Sulfuric acid is one of those substances that are fairly easy to produce. Many domestic and foreign enterprises work in this field. On the territory of the Russian Empire, the first enterprise for the production of sulfur was founded in 1805. Production facilities were located in the Zvenigorod district, in the Moscow region. Prior to the outbreak of the First World War, the Russian Empire was among the top 15 countries producing sulfuric acid. Now, among the manufacturers, it is worth noting the Sredneuralsky Copper Smelting Plant (Middle Ural Region), the Kola Metallurgical Company (Murmansk), Ammophos Open Joint Stock Company from the Vologda Region, as well as world manufacturers such as the Tunisian enterprise Groupe Chimique Tunisien, Turkmenabatsky chemical plant named after Saparmurat Niyazov, the Chinese company Sinopec, and so on.
The use of sulfuric acid
Of course, concentrated sulfuric acid is not used in the food industry. Only its 10% solution is used. Mainly, the E513 additive is used as a yeast wort acidifier. This acidifier is necessary in the process of preparing alcohol from starch-containing raw materials. We must not forget that this substance is a good acidity regulator in soft drinks, as well as a catalyst for sugar inversion (in this case, E513 is used extremely rarely).
The E513 emulsifier is excellent for handling contaminated yeast. The acid literally burns out foreign microorganisms without destroying the yeast structure. It is used in the refining of fats.
The food industry is not the only area where it has found its wide application. In agriculture, it is also difficult to do without it. It is actively used in the manufacture of mineral fertilizers: for example, the substance is an important element in the formation of mineral acids and salts. It is also used in heavy industry, where it is an electrolyte in lead batteries.
Perhaps every student will remember experiments with the substance, so it is logical that it is also used in the chemical industry. With its help, the production of explosives, chemical fibers, dyes is carried out. Also, the E513 additive is necessary for those who work in the leather, oil, textile and metalworking industries.
The benefits and harms of sulfuric acid for humans
Probably everyone understands that any acid negatively affects the human body and in general any living being. It is clear that the contact of a concentrated substance, for example, with the skin leads to instant death and charring of the skin. Vapors of this substance damage the respiratory organs, which leads to painful death. Mucosal damage, chemical burns and other negative effects are real even in case of contact with the popular ten percent sulfuric acid solution.
Work with sulfuric acid in production should be carried out exclusively in special protective suits, as well as in the presence of additional protection from the effects of the emulsifier. If you do not follow the safety rules, then the emulsifier can cause respiratory diseases such as laryngitis, bronchitis, tracheitis, and so on.
Emulsifier E513 is not a food additive found in some food products. In any case, the harm from this additive is much less than from those additives that are prohibited in Western countries and in Russia.
Legislative regulation of the use of additive E513
In most EU and CIS countries (including Ukraine and Russia), sulfuric acid is allowed to be used as a food additive.