SULPHUR DIOXIDE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does sulphur dioxide mean? 

• SULPHUR DIOXIDE (noun)
  The noun SULPHUR DIOXIDE has 1 sense:

1. a colorless toxic gas (SO2) that occurs in the gases from volcanoes; used in many manufacturing processes and present in industrial emissions; causes acid rain

  Familiarity information: SULPHUR DIOXIDE used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SULPHUR DIOXIDE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A colorless toxic gas (SO2) that occurs in the gases from volcanoes; used in many manufacturing processes and present in industrial emissions; causes acid rain

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Synonyms:

sulfur dioxide; sulphur dioxide

Hypernyms ("sulphur dioxide" is a kind of...):

dioxide (an oxide containing two atoms of oxygen in the molecule)

pollutant (waste matter that contaminates the water or air or soil)

gas (a fluid in the gaseous state having neither independent shape nor volume and being able to expand indefinitely)

 Context examples 

Changes in the output or proportions of different gases - such as carbon dioxide and sulphur dioxide – can herald shifts in the activity of a volcano.

(Size matters: if you are a bubble of volcanic gas, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Trees are particularly good at filtering air pollutants such as ozone, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter, which come from cars and roadworks.

(People Living Near Parks in Cities Less Likely to Face Early Death, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

The chemical balance of volcanic gases such as carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide (or sulphur dioxide and hydrogen sulphide) is generally thought to be controlled by the chemistry of the surrounding liquid magma but what the new findings showed is that when bubbles get large enough, most of the gas inside follows its own chemical pathway as the gas cools.

(Size matters: if you are a bubble of volcanic gas, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)