sulfur oxide, any of several compounds of sulfur and oxygen, the most important of which are sulfur dioxide

(SO2) and sulfur trioxide (SO3), both of which are manufactured in huge quantities in intermediate steps of sulfuric acid manufacture. The dioxide is the acid anhydride (a compound that combines with water to form an acid) of sulfurous acid; the trioxide is the acid anhydride of sulfuric acid. Sulfur dioxide is a heavy, colourless, poisonous gas with a pungent, irritating odour familiar as the smell of a just-struck match. Occurring in nature in volcanic gases and in solution in the waters of some warm springs, sulfur dioxide usually is prepared industrially by the burning in air or oxygen of sulfur or such compounds of sulfur as iron pyrite or copper pyrite. Large quantities of sulfur dioxide are formed in the combustion of sulfur-containing fuels; in the second half of ... (150 of 497 words)