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Potassium sulfide
Chemical compound From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Potassium sulfide is an inorganic compound with the formula K2S. The colourless solid is rarely encountered, because it reacts readily with water, a reaction that affords potassium hydrosulfide (KSH) and potassium hydroxide (KOH). Most commonly, the term potassium sulfide refers loosely to this mixture, not the anhydrous solid.
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Structure
It adopts an antifluorite structure, which means that the small K+ ions occupy the tetrahedral (F−) sites in fluorite, and the larger S2− centers occupy the eight-coordinate sites. Li2S, Na2S, and Rb2S crystallize similarly.[3]
Synthesis and reactions
It can be produced by heating K2SO4 with carbon (coke):
- K2SO4 + 4 C → K2S + 4 CO
In the laboratory, pure K2S may be prepared by the reaction of potassium and sulfur in anhydrous ammonia. [4]
Sulfide is highly basic, consequently K2S completely and irreversibly hydrolyzes in water according to the following equation:
- K2S + H2O → KOH + KSH
For many purposes, this reaction is inconsequential since the mixture of SH− and OH− behaves as a source of S2−. Other alkali metal sulfides behave similarly.[3]
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Use in fireworks
Potassium sulfides are formed when black powder is burned and are important intermediates in many pyrotechnic effects, such as senko hanabi and some glitter formulations.[5]
See also
References
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