Benzenesulfonic acid

Description

Benzene sulfonic acid is an organo sulfur compound with the formula C₆H₅SO₃H. It is the simplest aromatic sulfonic acid. It forms colorless deliquescent sheet crystals or a white waxy solid that is soluble in water and ethanol, slightly soluble in benzene and insoluble in carbon disulfide and diethyl ether. It is often stored in the form of alkali metal salts. Its aqueous solution is strongly acidic.

Description

Benzenesulfonic acid is the simplest aromatic sulfonic acid. It is highly water-soluble and a strong acid with a pKa of –2.8. It has been known since at least the 1880s; its synthesis, which goes back to 1916, is via the reaction of benzene with hot concentrated sulfuric acid.
Benzenesulfonic acid is used to produce phenol by fusing it with sodium hydroxide or hydrolyzing one of its salts, usually sodium. Other uses include surfactants made with its metal or amine salts and as a counterion for cationic pharmaceuticals.
For additional information on benzenesulfonic acid’s properties and uses, see articles curated by ScienceDirect.

The Uses of Benzenesulfonic acid

Benzenesulfonic acid is mainly consumed by conversion to other specialty chemicals. A variety of pharmaceutical drugs are prepared as salts of benzenesulfonic acid and are known as besylates or besilates. The alkali metal salt of benzenesulfonic acid was once widely used in the production of phenol. It acts as an acid catalyst for direct esterification of amino acids and peptides.