Sulfonic Acid

sulfonic acid, any of a class of organic acids containing sulfur and having the general formula RSO₃H, in which R is an organic combining group. The sulfonic acids are among the most important of the organosulfur compounds; the free acids are widely used as catalysts in organic syntheses, while the salts and other derivatives form the basis of the manufacture of detergents, water-soluble dyes and catalysts, sulfonamide pharmaceuticals, and ion-exchange resins.