[1] Carbyl sulfate is a colorless, crystalline, hygroscopic substance although commercial product can appear as a liquid.

Because of its unpleasant properties carbyl sulfate is difficult to handle and is usually not isolated but further processed to give secondary products.

Carbyl sulfate is produced in the highly exothermic (about 800 kcal/kg) reaction of ethylene and sulfur trioxide in the vapor phase in nearly quantitative yield.

Hydrolysis affords ethionic acid, which retains one sulfate ester group.

A number of functional compounds with a variety of applications are available by nucleophilic addition at the activated double bond of the vinyl sulfonic acid and its derivatives.