Industrial Chemistry

“The Leblanc Process

Although later superseded by the Solvay Process for producing sodium carbonate (also known as soda ash), the Leblanc Process was a pivotal achievement in the field of industrial chemistry and a milestone on the path to the Industrial Revolution.

First, sodium chloride and sulfuric acid are reacted to produce sodium sulfate and hydrogen chloride. The sodium sulfate is then reduced to sodium sulfide by burning it with coal…

Hydrogen chloride is a pollutant, capable of reacting with moisture in the air to create hydrochloric acid. The United Kingdom passed the Alkali Act of 1863 to prohibit the venting of hydrogen chloride into the environment, prompting chemist Henry Deacon to modify Leblanc’s process. He oxidized the pollutant in the presence of a catalyst to create chlorine gas, which could then be used to create useful products like bleach.”