Sulfonation and sulfation are industrial chemical processes used to make products like dyes, pigments, and detergents. Sulfonation involves attaching a sulfonic acid group (-SO3H) to an organic compound, often using sulfuric acid at high temperatures. Sulfation attaches a sulfate group (-OSO2OH) or forms a sulfate bridge between two carbon atoms. These reactions are important industrially but difficult to perform on a large scale due to the exothermic and rapid reaction of SO3. Over 1.6 million metric tons of sulfonates and sulfates are produced annually, primarily for use as surfactants in laundry and cleaning products.

1. By
Allahyar ( Shahzaib ) Shar
QUEST Nawabshah
Chemical Engineering
16CH26

2. • The process of attaching the sulfonic acid group, –SO 3 H, directly to
carbon in an organic compound is called sulfonation
• Or the corresponding salt or sulfonyl halide group (-so2cl) is introduced in
to organic compound.
• These groups may be situated on either carbon and nitrogen atom.
• Particular type of sulfonation include
• Sulfochlorination
• Sulfoxidation
• Sulfoalkylation
• Sulfoacylation
• Sulfoarylation

3. Sulfonation Vs Sulfation
Sulfonation
The replacement of a hydrogen
atom of an organic compound
with a sulfonic acid (-SO3H)
functional group, often by
reaction with sulfuric acid at high
temperatures.
Sulfation
The replacement of a hydrogen
atom of an organic compound
with a sulfate (-OSO2OH)
functional group, or the
replacement of the hydrogen
atoms of two molecules to form a
sulfate (R-OSO2O-R)

4. • Sulfation
• It is involving placement of the -0S020H group on carbon, yielding an
acid sulfates (R0SO2OH) or SO4 group between two carbon forming
the sulfates (ROSO2OR).
• Sulfatoalkylation introduce sulfated alkyl group in to organic
compound.

5. • First Class; Aliphatic and alicyclic
• 2nd class; Aromatic
• 3rd class; heterocyclic
• 4th class; N-sulfonates or sulfamates
• The first three classes have the –SO2OH group on carbon and these
are drived from petroleum fraction, from lignin, and from fatty oils.
• All three are commercially important.

6. • Sulfates may be classified as
• sulfated alkanes,
• alcohol sulfates,
• cyclic sulfates,
• Sulfated carbohydrate,
• sulfated nitrogenous poly saccharides

7. • Treatment of organic compound with SO3
• Treatment with a compound SO2
• Condensation and polymerization Method
• Oxidation

8. • Sulfonation and sulfation are major industrial chemical processes
used to make a diverse range of products, including dyes and color
intensifiers, pigments, medicinals, pesticides and organic
intermediates. Additionally, almost 500,000 metric tons per year of
lignin sulfonates are produced as a by-product from paper pulping.
Petroleum sulfonates are widely used as detergent additives in
lubricating oils. However, the majority of the 1.6 million metric tons
of sulfonates and sulfates produced annually in the United States[1]
are used as surfactants in laundry and consumer products
applications.

9. • SO3 is an aggressive electrophilic reagent that rapidly reacts with any
organic compound containing an electron donor group.
• Sulfonation is a difficult reaction to perform on an industrial scale
because the reaction is rapid and highly exothermic,
• Releasing approximately 380 kJ/kg SO3 (800 BTUs per pound of SO3)
reacted[2].

10. Thank you