History of the discovery of sulfuric acid

In ancient China, dilute sulfuric acid was called "green alum oil". In 650-683 AD (Tang Dynasty Gao Zong), the alchemist Gu Gang Zi recorded in his book "Yellow Emperor Jiuding Shen Dan Jing" volume 9, "refining stone gall extract method", that is, dry distillation of stone gall (bile alum) to obtain sulfuric acid.
Sulfuric acid was discovered in the 8th century. The Arab alchemist Jaber obtained sulfuric acid by dry distillation of ferrous sulfate crystals. Some early chemists, such as Razi and Jaber, also wrote lists of sulfuric acid and its related minerals; Others, such as Dr. Ibn Sina, put more emphasis on the types of sulfuric acid and their value in medicine.
In the 17th century, German chemist Johann Rudolf Glauber heated a mixture of sulfur and potassium nitrate with steam to produce sulfuric acid. In this process, the potassium nitrate decomposed and oxidized the sulfur to form sulfur trioxide (SO3), which could be mixed with water and turned into sulfuric acid. So, in 1736, London pharmacist Joshua Ward used this method to pioneer the large-scale production of sulfuric acid.
In 1746, John Roebuck applied this principle and pioneered the lead chamber process to produce sulfuric acid in large quantities at a lower cost and efficiency. After many refinements, this method has been used in industry for nearly two centuries. [2] This method of producing sulfuric acid, created by John Roebuck, produced sulfuric acid at a concentration of 65%, and was later modified by French chemist Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac and English chemist John Glover to produce sulfuric acid at a concentration of 78%. However, this concentration still does not meet some industrial uses.
In the early 18th century, the production of sulfuric acid relied on the following method: metal sulfide ore was burned into low-priced sulfate, which could be decomposed at a certain temperature into the corresponding metal hydroxide and gaseous sulfur oxides, which were then used to produce sulfuric acid. Unfortunately, the high cost of this process has prevented the widespread use of concentrated sulfuric acid. [2] An early molecular diagram of sulfuric acid, drawn by John Dalton in 1808, shows that sulfuric acid has a central sulfur atom and forms covalent bonds with three oxygen atoms, as shown on the right.
Then, in 1831, Peregrine Phillips, an English vinegar merchant, came up with the idea of making sulfur trioxide and sulfuric acid at a much lower cost, a process that is now widely used.