Difference between revisions of "Carbon disulfide"

Revision as of 02:56, 14 June 2015

Carbon disulfide is a colorless volatile liquid with the formula CS₂, useful as a non-polar solvent.

Properties

Chemical

Chlorination of CS₂ yields carbon tetrachloride and sulfur dichloride:

CS₂ + 3 Cl₂ → CCl₄ + S₂Cl₂

Physical

Carbon disulfide is a colorless, with an chloroform like smell when pure. Impure CS₂ has a yellowish color and has a putrid smell. It is insoluble in water, but soluble in many organic solvents, such as benzene, ethanol, ether, carbon tetrachloride, chloroform. It's poorly soluble in formic acid. CS₂ boils at 46.24 °C and freezes at −111.61 °C. It has a low autoignition temperature for a solvent, of only 102 °C.

Availability

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Preparation

There are two main ways to synthesize CS₂: The first method, involves the reaction of sulfur vapors with carbon (or coke) at 900°C. The resulting vapors are condensed and sulfur disulfide is purified. BromicAcid managed to synthesize only a few ml using this method. A few years later, garagechemist in collaboration with Len1, tried to improve the said method, using a tube furnace. It yeilded around 44 g of CS₂.

Another method, that works at lower temperatures (600 °C), utilizes methane as the carbon source in the presence of silica gel or alumina catalysts:

2 CH₄ + S₈ → 2 CS₂ + 4 H₂S

Projects

• Sulfur extraction and purification
• Make carbon tetrachloride
• Make sulfur disulfide

Handling

Safety

Carbon disulfide has moderate toxicity. It is very flammable.

Storage

Disposal

References

Relevant Sciencemadness threads

• Carbon Disulfide Preparation
• Carbon Disulfide from sulfur and charcoal