Pyrosulphuric

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. A chemical compound containing sulfur in a highly oxidized form, typically produced by the dehydration or strong heating of sulfuric acid
2. Describing a substance formed from sulfuric acid through removal of water or intense heat, characterized by its corrosive and oxidizing properties
3. Of or relating to a sulfur compound created by the thermal concentration or dehydration of sulfuric acid, known for its powerful oxidizing capability

Etymology: Pyrosulphuric acid is a chemical name built by stacking two existing terms together, so its history is largely a matter of how chemists labelled a compound they had already identified. The first element, "pyro-", comes from Ancient Greek "pûr", meaning fire. In chemistry it signals that a compound has been formed by heating, the way "pyrophosphoric" acid is made from phosphoric acid by driving off water. Pyrosulphuric acid is therefore the product of heating sulphuric acid. The second element, "sulphuric", is itself a chemical adjective. "Sulphur" traces back through Latin to an earlier root, and "-ic" is the familiar suffix that marks an acid containing a particular element in its higher oxidation state. Joining the two gives a name that describes the compound's origin and composition at once: a sulphuric acid derivative that results from heat.