Sulfate vs. Sulfite

Main Difference

The main difference between sulfate and sulfite is that sulfate formed of four oxygen atoms that are further bonded to a sulfur atom, whereas sulfite made up of three oxygen atoms that bonded to a sulfur atom.

Difference Between Sulfate and Sulfite

Comparison Chart

Sulfate vs. Sulfite

Sulfate consider as an anion that made up of four oxygen atom bonded to a sulfur atom, while sulfite considers as an anion formed of oxygen atoms and a sulfur atom. 96 g/mole is the molar mass of sulfate, whereas 80 g/mole is the molar mass of sulfite. Various sulfates usually are soluble in water; on the other hand, many sulfites are usually insoluble in water.

The geometry of sulfates is tetrahedral around the sulfur atom; on the contrary, the geometry of sulfite is trigonal pyramidal around the sulfur atom. In sulfate, +6 considered as the oxidation state of sulfur; conversely, in sulfite, +4 usually is the oxidation state of sulfite. Sulfate normally cannot go through oxidation reactions during the reaction process; on the flip side, sulfite always goes through complete oxidation reactions in the reaction process.

Sulfate consists of one more oxygen atom in its structure; on the other hand, sulfite consists of one less oxygen atom in its whole structure. Sulfate usually has a positive charge on its sulfur atom; on the contrary, sulfite normally has a negative charge on its sulfur atom. The sulfur atom present in sulfate has one more sulfur than sulfur atom presents in sulfite.

Sulfate drives to the third power of oxidation mean -3; on the flip side, sulfite drives to the second power of oxidation means have -2. The empirical formula of sulfate is SO₂-4, while the empirical formula of sulfite is SO₂-3. The acid derivatives, peroxides, and salts of sulfate are mostly used in industry, whereas sulfite is an indefinable acid and used in regulated food additives.

Sulfate consider as the salt of sulfuric acid and usually made from that sulfuric acid, which readily used in dish soap, in-floor cleaners, in body washes, and shampoos. In contrast, sulfite considers the naturally occurring substance that widely used in the human body and some varieties of food. Sulfate is not involved in the formation of wine, but some calcium sulfate can be used in beer production; on the contrary, sulfite is widely used in wine production because they perform as a preservative by stopping microbial growth.

What is Sulfate?

The term sulfate described as the compound that consists of an anion made up of four oxygen atom bonded to a sulfur atom. The sulfate anion present in sulfate has -2 charge. The molecular/empirical formula of sulfate is generally SO₄^-2.

Sulfate anion considered as the conjugated base or salt of the sulfuric acid and usually made from that sulfuric acid. The anions and a proton (H⁺) of sulfate formed when sulfuric acid is broken down into its ions.

When bonds between sulfur and oxygen atoms deliberated, the two oxygen atoms of sulfate are bonded by double bonds with a sulfur atom, and single bonds with a sulfur atom bond the other two atoms of oxygen. The bonding is due to the sulfur atom that can make a maximum of six bonds around its structure. Hence, negative charges can be seen on single-bonded oxygen atoms.

In sulfate, +6 is considered as the oxidation state of sulfur, and the oxidation state of each oxygen atom is calculated as -2. When experimentally considered sulfur atom and an oxygen atom, because of the phenomenon of resonance, the bond lengths between the sulfur atom and oxygen atoms are the same.

The electrons which are present around sulfur atoms and oxygen atoms become delocalized because of the overlapping of orbitals. The exact bond length between oxygen and sulfur atoms is at 149pm. The examples of common sulfates are Baryte (BaSO₄), Anglesite (PbSO₄), Anhydrite (CaSO₄), Gypsum (CaSO₄.2H₂O), and Epsomite (MgSO₄.7H₂O).

What is Sulfite?

The term sulfite described as a compound that consists of an anion and formed of oxygen atoms and a sulfur atom. Sulfur atom of sulfite consists of only one sulfur atom, which bonded to three oxygen atoms. The charge present on sulfite anion is -2.

Sulfite consists of three oxygen atoms, and in sulfite anion, one oxygen atom is bonded to sulfur atom through the double bond. The other two oxygen atoms are bonded through the single bonds with the sulfur atom. The bond lengths present around the oxygen and sulfur atoms are the same, and the value of bond length is also the same between sulfur and oxygen atoms because of resonance in structure.

Furthermore, a lone pair of electrons is present on a sulfur atom in sulfite anion. +4 is considered the oxidation state of sulfite, and -2 is the oxidation state of each oxygen atom present in sulfite anion. Sulfites are generally soluble in water, such as sulfites K⁺, NH⁺, and Na⁺.

The examples of common sulfite are Copper Sulfite (CuSO₃), Zinc Sulfite (ZnSO₃), Magnesium Sulfite (MgSO₃), and Potassium Sulfite (K₂SO₃).

Conclusion

The above discussion concludes that the sulfate considered of four oxygen atoms that further bonded to a sulfur atom, and the structure of sulfates is tetrahedral, whereas sulfite made up of three oxygen atoms that are bonded to a sulfur atom and its composition is trigonal pyramidal.