Aluminium sulfide

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Aluminium sulfide
Sulfid hlinity.PNG
Names
Other names
Aluminium sulfide
Identifiers
3D model (JSmol)
ChemSpider
ECHA InfoCard 100.013.736 OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
EC Number
  • 215-109-0
PubChem CID
UNII
  • InChI=1S/2Al.3S/q2*+3;3*-2 Yes check.svgY
    Key: COOGPNLGKIHLSK-UHFFFAOYSA-N Yes check.svgY
  • InChI=1/2Al.3S/q2*+3;3*-2
    Key: COOGPNLGKIHLSK-UHFFFAOYAY
  • [Al+3].[Al+3].[S-2].[S-2].[S-2]
Properties
Al2S3
Molar mass 150.158 g/mol
Appearancegray solid
Density 2.02 g/cm3
Melting point 1,100 °C (2,010 °F; 1,370 K)
Boiling point 1,500 °C (2,730 °F; 1,770 K) sublimes
decomposes
Solubility insoluble in acetone
Structure
trigonal
Thermochemistry
105.1 J/mol K
Std molar
entropy
(S298)
116.9 J/mol K
-724 kJ/mol
Hazards
GHS labelling:
GHS-pictogram-flamme.svg GHS-pictogram-exclam.svg
Danger
NFPA 704 (fire diamond)
NFPA 704.svgHealth 4: Very short exposure could cause death or major residual injury. E.g. VX gasFlammability 0: Will not burn. E.g. waterInstability 2: Undergoes violent chemical change at elevated temperatures and pressures, reacts violently with water, or may form explosive mixtures with water. E.g. white phosphorusSpecial hazard W: Reacts with water in an unusual or dangerous manner. E.g. sodium, sulfuric acid
4
0
2
W
Safety data sheet (SDS)
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
X mark.svgN  verify  (what is  Yes check.svgYX mark.svgN ?)

Aluminium sulfide is a chemical compound with the formula Al2 S3. This colorless species has an interesting structural chemistry, existing in several forms. The material is sensitive to moisture, hydrolyzing to hydrated aluminum oxides/hydroxides. [1] This can begin when the sulfide is exposed to the atmosphere. The hydrolysis reaction generates gaseous hydrogen sulfide (H2S).

Contents

Crystal structure

More than six crystalline forms of aluminium sulfide are known and only some are listed below. Most of them have rather similar, wurtzite-like structures, and differ by the arrangement of lattice vacancies, which form ordered or disordered sublattices. [2] [3]

FormSymmetrySpace
group
a (A)c (A)ρ (g/cm3)
αHexagonalP616.42317.832.32
βHexagonalP63mc3.5795.8292.495
γTrigonal6.4717.262.36
δTetragonalI41/amd7.02629.8192.71

The β and γ phases are obtained by annealing the most stable α-Al2S3 phase at several hundred degrees Celsius. [4] Compressing aluminium sulfide to 2–65 bar results in the δ phase where vacancies are arranged in a superlattice of tetragonal symmetry. [5]

Unlike Al2O3, in which the Al(III) centers occupy octahedral holes, the more expanded framework of Al2S3 stabilizes the Al(III) centers into one third of the tetrahedral holes of a hexagonally close-packed arrangement of the sulfide anions. At higher temperature, the Al(III) centers become randomized to give a "defect wurtzite" structure. And at still higher temperatures stabilize the γ-Al2S3 forms, with a structure akin to γ-Al2O3.

Molecular derivatives of Al2S3 are not known. Mixed Al-S-Cl compounds are however known. Al2Se3 and Al2Te3 are also known.

Preparation

Aluminium sulfide is readily prepared by ignition of the elements [6]

2 Al + 3 S → Al2S3

This reaction is extremely exothermic and it is not necessary or desirable to heat the whole mass of the sulfur-aluminium mixture; (except possibly for very small amounts of reactants). The product will be created in a fused form; it reaches a temperature greater than 1100 °C and may melt its way through steel. The cooled product is very hard.

Related Research Articles

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Aluminium oxide (or aluminium(III) oxide) is a chemical compound of aluminium and oxygen with the chemical formula Al2O3. It is the most commonly occurring of several aluminium oxides, and specifically identified as aluminium oxide. It is commonly called alumina and may also be called aloxide, aloxite, or alundum in various forms and applications. It occurs naturally in its crystalline polymorphic phase α-Al2O3 as the mineral corundum, varieties of which form the precious gemstones ruby and sapphire. Al2O3 is significant in its use to produce aluminium metal, as an abrasive owing to its hardness, and as a refractory material owing to its high melting point.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bismuth(III) oxide</span> Chemical compound

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Lithium aluminate, also called lithium aluminium oxide, is an inorganic chemical compound, an aluminate of lithium. In microelectronics, lithium aluminate is considered as a lattice matching substrate for gallium nitride. In nuclear technology, lithium aluminate is of interest as a solid tritium breeder material, for preparing tritium fuel for nuclear fusion. Lithium aluminate is a layered double hydroxide (LDH) with a crystal structure resembling that of hydrotalcite. Lithium aluminate solubility at high pH is much lower than that of aluminium oxides. In the conditioning of low- and intermediate level radioactive waste (LILW), lithium nitrate is sometimes used as additive to cement to minimise aluminium corrosion at high pH and subsequent hydrogen production. Indeed, upon addition of lithium nitrate to cement, a passive layer of LiH(AlO
2
)
2
· 5 H
2
O
is formed onto the surface of metallic aluminium waste immobilised in mortar. The lithium aluminate layer is insoluble in cement pore water and protects the underlying aluminium oxide covering the metallic aluminium from dissolution at high pH. It is also a pore filler. This hinders the aluminium oxidation by the protons of water and reduces the hydrogen evolution rate by a factor of 10.

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References

  1. Holleman, A. F.; Wiberg, E. "Inorganic Chemistry" Academic Press: San Diego, 2001. ISBN   0-12-352651-5.
  2. Hans Landolt; D. Bimberg, Richard Börnstein; Richard Börnstein (1982). Halbleiter. Springer. pp. 12–. ISBN   978-3-540-13507-4 . Retrieved 23 September 2011.
  3. Flahaut, J. (1952). "Contribution à l'étude du sulfure d'aluminium et des thioaluminates" [Contribution to the study of aluminum sulfide and thioaluminates]. Annales de Chimie (Paris) (in French). 7: 632–696.
  4. Krebs, Bernt; Schiemann, Anke; läGe, Mechtild (1993). "Synthese und Kristallstruktur einer Neuen hexagonalen Modifikation von Al2S3 mit fünffach koordiniertem Aluminum". Zeitschrift für anorganische und allgemeine Chemie. 619 (6): 983. doi:10.1002/zaac.19936190604.
  5. Donohue, P (1970). "High-pressure spinel type Al2S3 and MnAl2S4". Journal of Solid State Chemistry. 2 (1): 6–8. Bibcode:1970JSSCh...2....6D. doi:10.1016/0022-4596(70)90024-1.
  6. McPherson, William (1913). Laboratory manual. Boston: Ginn and Company. p. 445.