Properties And Chemical Reactions Of Sulphide

Physical Properties of Sulphur

1. Atomic Number: 16.

2. Atomic Weight: 32.066 grams per mole.

3. It belongs to group 16, a part of the oxygen family in the periodic table.

4. Non-metal with a specific heat of approximately 0.705 J g-1  ºC-1
5. Colour: Light-Yellow, varies in colour, and may turn blackish on boiling owing to carbonaceous impurities.

6. Non-transparent and fragile/brittle solid.

7. Generally found in the form of small orthorhombic crystals.

8. Density: It has a density twice that of water.

9. Taste: Faint.

10. Odourless.

Chemical Properties of Sulphur

1. Sulphur has a melting point of 388 K.

2. It has a boiling point of 717.9 K.

3. It has a specific gravity of 1.27.

4. It is stable under normal conditions.

5. Sulphur burns in the form of a blue flame which is sulphur dioxide, constituting an irritating and suffocating odour.

6. Solubility: Insoluble in water but largely soluble in carbon disulfide and lightly soluble in other non-polar organic solvents, such as toluene and benzene.

7. Sodium reacts with almost all the elements present in the periodic table except with Gold, Platinum, Iridium, Tellurium, Nitrogen, Iodine, and other noble gases.

Other chemical properties of sulphur

1. On oxidation of Sulphur by sulfuric acid, sulphur dioxide and water are formed. Similarly, both sulphur and concentrated nitric acid constitute nitrogen dioxide. Sulfuric acid and water.

    S(s) + 2H2SO4(l) →  2H2O(l) + 3SO2(l)

    S(s) + 6HNO3(l) → 6NO2 + 2H2O(l)

2. A reaction of boiling sulphur and di-hydrogen gas gives hydrogen sulphide.

    S(s) + H2(g) → H2S(g)

3. Carbon reacts with sulphur at a high temperature to form Carbon Di-sulphide.

    2S(s) + C(s) → CS2(g)

4. Sulphur dioxide readily reacts with sodium hydroxide solution to form sodium sulfite.

      2NaOH + SO2 → Na2SO3 + H2O

Sulphide generally is an inorganic anion of sulphur represented by the chemical formula S2-. It is a compound that contains one or more S2- ions. Sulphide belongs to any one of the three classes of chemical compounds which contains sulphur. The three classes mainly include:

• Organic Sulphides.

• Inorganic Sulphides.

• Phosphine Sulphides.

Compounds in which the sulphur atoms are bonded with two organic groups covalently are Organic Sulphides.

Compounds that contain negatively charged sulphide ions that are characterised as salts having very weak acids such as hydrogen sulphide are Inorganic Sulphides.

Compounds that are formed from the reaction of the organic phosphines with sulphur are Phosphine Sulphides. In this, the sulphur atom gets linked with the phosphorus in a bond characterised by both ionic and covalent properties.

Chemical Composition of Sulphides

Sulphides are mainly composed of metalloids and non-metallic elements that are either molecular or are distinguished by sulphide bridges constituting a polymeric structure.

For example, in the case of silicon di-sulphide, SiS2, is a structure that comprises infinite chains of SiS4 tetrahedrons sharing edges.

They can be produced by reducing sulphate with the use of carbon or through precipitation from acidic aqueous solution by H2S, Hydrogen Sulphide. It can also be produced from the basic solution by ammonium sulphide, (NH4)2S. Another process would include bubbling of H2S to a basic solution of the metal sulphur to form metal hydrogen sulphide.

Conclusion

Sulphur is largely utilised for the production of H2SO4., i.e., Sulfuric Acid which is produced with the help of the contact process. Nearly 70-75% of the sulfuric acid is used as fertilisers for agricultural activities. Sulphur can also be used as a dehydrating agent and an oxidising agent. Sulphur directly reacts with methane to form carbon disulfide which is mainly used in the production of cellophane and rayon. Sulfites, another compound of sulphur, are used to preserve the dry fruits and to bleach papers.