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sulphuric acid
Also known as: H2SO4, sulfuric acid
Facts (14)
Sources
Hypothetical types of biochemistry - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org 8 facts
claimProposed alternative solvents for biochemistry include supercritical fluids (carbon dioxide and hydrogen), hydrogen chloride, sulfuric acid, formamide, methanol, liquid nitrogen, hydrogen, and sodium chloride.
claimThe astrobiological committee chaired by John A. Baross identified ammonia, sulfuric acid, formamide, hydrocarbons, liquid nitrogen, and supercritical hydrogen as potential solvents for extraterrestrial life.
measurementSulfuric acid is a strongly polar liquid with a liquid range of 10 °C to 337 °C at 1 atm pressure, although it decomposes slowly above 300 °C.
claimThe astrobiological committee chaired by John A. Baross identified ammonia, sulfuric acid, formamide, hydrocarbons, liquid nitrogen, and supercritical hydrogen as potential solvents for extraterrestrial life.
claimIn a biochemistry that uses sulfuric acid as a solvent, the alkene group (C=C) could function analogously to the carbonyl group (C=O) in water-based biochemistry.
measurementLiquid sulfuric acid has a liquid range of 10 °C to 337 °C at a pressure of 1 atm, although it slowly decomposes above 300 °C.
claimSilicones, which alternate between silicon and oxygen atoms, are more stable than silanes and potentially more stable than equivalent hydrocarbons in sulfuric acid-rich extraterrestrial environments.
claimSulfuric acid exists in the clouds of Venus in the form of aerosol droplets.
Carbon may not be the only basis for life. Look for silicon, too bigthink.com Jul 1, 2022 4 facts
claimThe lower Venusian atmosphere and the near-subsurface of Jupiter's moon Io are two locations in the Solar System that contain significant amounts of sulfuric acid.
referenceJanusz Petkowski's research suggests that sulfuric acid could theoretically support a diverse range of organic silicon chemistry.
claimThe lower Venusian atmosphere and the near-subsurface of Jupiter’s moon Io are two locations in the Solar System that contain significant amounts of sulfuric acid.
referenceA paper by Petkowski suggests that sulfuric acid could theoretically support a diverse range of organic silicon chemistry.
Does Life Need to Be Carbon-Based? - Reasons to Believe reasons.org Oct 28, 2016 1 fact
claimProposed alternative solvents for life include sulfuric acid, methane/ethane, hydrogen fluoride, sodium chloride, and silicon dioxide.
The Energy Department "Red Team" Critique of Greenhouse-Gas ... revkin.substack.com Jul 31, 2025 1 fact
claimThe Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classifies nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and sulphur dioxide (SO2) as air pollutants, despite the fact that they affect public health and welfare indirectly after transforming into nitric acid (HNO3) and sulphuric acid (H2SO4), respectively.