Polythiazyl (polymericsulfurnitride), (SN)x, is an electrically conductive, gold- or bronze-colored polymer with metallic luster. It was the first conductive inorganic polymer discovered[1][2] and was also found to be a superconductor at very low temperatures (below 0.26 K).[3][4] It is a fibrous solid, described as "lustrous golden on the faces and dark blue-black", depending on the orientation of the sample. It is air stable and insoluble in all solvents.[5]
The compound was first reported as early as 1910 by F.P. Burt, who obtained it by heating tetrasulfur tetranitride in vacuum over silver wool.[6]
The compound was the first compound with only non-metallic elements in which superconductivity could be demonstrated. However, the relatively low transition temperature at about 0.3 K makes a practical application unlikely.[7][8]
Properties
Polythiazyl is a metallic-golden and shiny, crystalline but fibrous material.[8] The polymer is mostly inert to oxygen and water, but decomposes in air to a grey powder.[9][10] At temperatures above 240°C explosive decomposition can occur.[11] The compound also explodes on impact.[10] Explosion generally proceeds via decomposition to the elements.
Polythiazyl shows an anisotropic electrical conductivity. Along the fibres or SN chains, the bond is electrically conductive, perpendicular to it acts as an insulator. The one-dimensional conductivity is based on the bonding conditions in the S-N chain, where each sulfur atom provides two π electrons and each nitrogen atom provides one π electron to form two-center 3π electron bonding units.[8]
Two polymorphic crystal forms were observed in the compound. The monoclinic form I obtained from the synthesis can be converted into an orthorhombic form II by mechanical treatment such as grinding.[12]
Structure and bonding
The material is a polymer, containing trivalent nitrogen, and divalent and tetravalent sulfur. The S and N atoms on adjacent chains align.[2][13][14] Several resonance structures can be written.[15]
The structure of the crystalline compound was resolved by X-ray diffraction. This showed alternating S–N bond lengths of 159 pm and 163 pm and S–N–S bond angles of 120 ° and N–S–N bond angles of 106 °.[16][17][9][8]
To eschew explosive reagents entirely, iron filings in nitromethane reduce the thiazyl chloride trimer to [(SN)5]+[FeCl4]−,[21] which a platinum cathode reduces to polythiazyl.[22]
↑ Labes, M. M.; Love, P.; Nichols, L. F. (1979). "Polysulfur Nitride - a Metallic, Superconducting Polymer". Chemical Reviews. 79 (1): 1–15. doi:10.1021/cr60317a002.
↑ Baughman, R.H.; Apgar, P.A.; Chance, R.R.; MacDiarmid, A.G.; Garito, A.F.: A New Phase of (SN)x in J. Chem. Soc. Chem. Comm. 1977, 49–50, doi:10.1039/C39770000049.
↑ Goehring, Margot (1956). "Sulphur nitride and its derivatives". Quarterly Reviews, Chemical Society. 10 (4): 437. doi:10.1039/qr9561000437. ISSN0009-2681.
↑ Cohen, M.J .; Garito, A. F.; Heeger, A. J.; MacDiarmid, A. G.; Mikulski, C. M.; Saran, M. S.; Kleppinger, J. (1976). "Solid state polymerization of S2N2 to (SN)x". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 98: 3844–3848. doi:10.1021/ja00429a018.
↑ Okada, M.; Tanaka, K.; Takata, A.; Yamabe, T. (1993). "Examination of Electronic Phase of the Hartree-Fock Solution of an Isolated Polythiazyl Chain". Synthetic Metals. 59 (2): 223–230. doi:10.1016/0379-6779(93)91029-2.
↑ MacDiarmid, A.G.; Mikulski, C.M.; Russo, P.J.; Saran, M.S.; Garito, A.F.; Heeger, A.J.: Synthesis and structure of the polymeric metal, (SN)x, and its precursor, S2N2 in J. Chem. Soc. Chem. Comm. 1975, 476–477, doi:10.1039/C39750000476.
↑ Hicks, RobinG. (2010). "The synthesis and characterization of stable radicals containing the thiazyl (SN) fragment and their use as building blocks for advanced functional materials". In Hicks, RobinG. (ed.). Stable Radicals. Wiley. p.322. ISBN978-0-470-77083-2.
↑ Roesky, H.W. (1971). "The Sulfur–Nitrogen Bond". In Senning, Alexander (ed.). Sulfur in Organic and Inorganic Chemistry. Vol.1. New York: Marcel Dekker. pp.20–23. ISBN0-8247-1615-9. LCCN70-154612.
↑ Banister, ArthurJ.; Fielder, AndrewJ.; Hey, RichardG.; Smith, NigelR.M. (1980) [21 June 1979]. "Some reductions of sulphur-nitrogen-chloride compounds to give tetrasulphur tetranitride". J. C. S. Dalton: 1457–1460.
↑ Banister, ArthurJ.; Hauptman, ZdenekV.; Kendrick, AidanG. (1983) [1 June 1983]. "Electrochemical synthesis of poly(sulphur nitride)". Journal of the Chemical Society, Chemical Communications: 1016–1018.
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