What is the formula of sulfuric acid?

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Multiple Choice

What is the formula of sulfuric acid?

Explanation:
Sulfuric acid has two hydrogens tied to a sulfate group, so the neutral formula is H2SO4. This fits with the sulfate structure (SO4) and the two acidic hydrogens; in water it can lose one proton to become HSO4−, and a second to form SO4^2−, which matches having two hydrogens in the original molecule. The other options don’t fit: H2SO3 would be sulfurous acid with three oxygens, and HSO4− or HSO3− are ions, not neutral acids.

Sulfuric acid has two hydrogens tied to a sulfate group, so the neutral formula is H2SO4. This fits with the sulfate structure (SO4) and the two acidic hydrogens; in water it can lose one proton to become HSO4−, and a second to form SO4^2−, which matches having two hydrogens in the original molecule. The other options don’t fit: H2SO3 would be sulfurous acid with three oxygens, and HSO4− or HSO3− are ions, not neutral acids.

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