Bisulfide (or bisulphide in British English) is an inorganicanion with the chemical formula HS− (also written as SH−). It contributes no color to bisulfide salts. It often coexists with hydrogen sulfide, which has a distinctive putrid smell. It is a strong base.
It is an important chemical reagent and an industrial chemical, mainly used in paper pulp industry (Kraft process).
Properties
A variety of salts are known, including sodium hydrosulfide and potassium hydrosulfide. Ammonium hydrosulfide, a component of "stink bombs" has not been isolated as a pure solid. Some compounds described as salts of the sulfide dianion contain primarily hydrosulfide. For example, the hydrated form of sodium sulfide, nominally with the formula Na2S · 9 H2O, is better described as NaSH · NaOH · 8 H2O.
Aqueous bisulfide absorbs light at around 230nm in the UV–visible spectrum.[1] Using this approach, bisulfide has been detected in the ocean[2][3] and in sewage.[4]
Basicity
At physiological pH, hydrogen sulfide is almost fully ionized to bisulfide (HS−).[5] Therefore, in biochemical settings, "hydrogen sulfide" is often used to mean, bisulfide. Hydrosulfide has been identified as the third gasotransmitter along with nitric oxide and carbon monoxide.[6]
Upon treatment with an acid, bisulfide converts to hydrogen sulfide. Oxidation of bisulfide gives polysulfides and eventually sulfate. When anstrongly heated, alkali bisulfide salts decompose to produce sulfide salts and hydrogen sulfide.
2NaHS → H2S + Na2S
When treated with metal salts, bisulfide gives the corresponding sulfide:
Under specific conditions, SH− forms some complexes containing SH ligands. Examples include [Au(SH)2]− and (C5H5)2Ti(SH)2, derived from gold(I) chloride and titanocene dichloride, respectively.[7]
Safety
Bisulfide salts release toxic hydrogen sulfide upon acidification.
↑Johnson, K.S.; Coletti, L.S. (2001), "In situ ultraviolet spectrophotometry for high resolution and long-term monitoring of nitrate, bromide and bisulfide in the ocean.", Deep-Sea Research, 49 (7): 1291–1305, Bibcode:2002DSRI...49.1291J, doi:10.1016/s0967-0637(02)00020-1
↑Guenther, E.A.; Johnson, K.S.; Coale, K.H. (2001), "Direct ultraviolet spectrophotometric determination of total sulfide and iodide in natural waters", Analytical Chemistry, 73 (14): 3481–3487, doi:10.1021/ac0013812, PMID11476251
↑Sutherland-Stacey, L.; Corrie, S.; Neethling, A.; Johnson, I.; Gutierrez, O.; Dexter, R.; Yuan, Z.; Keller, J.; Hamilton, G. (2007), "Continuous measurement of dissolved sulfide in sewer systems", Water Science and Technology
12Pluth, Michael D.; Tonzetich, Zachary J. (2020). "Hydrosulfide complexes of the transition elements: Diverse roles in bioinorganic, cluster, coordination, and organometallic chemistry". Chemical Society Reviews. 49 (12): 4070–4134. doi:10.1039/C9CS00570F. PMID32420562.
↑J. W. Pavlik, B. C. Noll, A. G. Oliver, C. E. Schulz, W. R. Scheidt, “Hydrosulfide (HS−) Coordination in Iron Porphyrinates”, Inorganic Chemistry, 2010, vol. 49(3), 1017-1026.
↑Peruzzini, M.; de los Rios, I. & Romerosa, A. (2001), "Coordination Chemistry of Transition Metals with Hydrogen Chalcogenide and Hydrogen Chalcogenido Ligands", Progress in Inorganic Chemistry, 49: 169–543, doi:10.1002/9780470166512.ch3, ISBN978-0-470-16651-2{{citation}}: CS1 maint: work parameter with ISBN (link)