But of all substances that have made their imprint on the modern progress of the arts, there is no one approaching sulphuric acid in importance, produced as it is from the cheapest materials ...

As well as being a strong acid, sulfuric acid is also a dehydrating agent, meaning it is very good at removing water from other substances. There are two examples you need to be aware of.

Maumene, on the above subject. The fatty oils mingled with sulphuric acid disengage heat, this action may serve to distinguish them; it separates in a striking manner the drying oils from those ...

Seager] and colleagues lending credence to this idea. Previous studies have shown that organic chemistry in concentrated sulfuric acid is possible, and that nucleic acid bases – including ...