Diethyl dixanthogen disulfide is the

organosulfur compound Organosulfur compounds are organic compounds that contain sulfur. They are often associated with foul odors, but many of the sweetest compounds known are organosulfur derivatives, e.g., saccharin. Nature abounds with organosulfur compounds—sulfu ...

with the formula . It is one of the most common

dixanthogen disulfide : Structure of diethyl dixanthogen disulfide. Dixanthogen disulfides are a class of organosulfur compounds with the formula . Usually yellow solids, they are the product of the oxidation of xanthate salts. A common derivative is diethyl dixan ...

s, compounds of the type (R = alkyl). A yellow solid, It is obtained by oxidation of sodium ethylxanthate or

potassium ethylxanthate Potassium ethyl xanthate (KEX) is an organosulfur compound with the chemical formula CH3CH2OCS2K. It is a pale yellow powder that is used in the mining industry for the separation of ores. Unlike the related sodium ethyl xanthate, the potassium s ...

. According to

X-ray crystallography X-ray crystallography is the experimental science determining the atomic and molecular structure of a crystal, in which the crystalline structure causes a beam of incident X-rays to diffract into many specific directions. By measuring the angles ...

, the two groups in solid diethyl dixanthogen disulfide are planar and are linked by a

disulfide bond In biochemistry, a disulfide (or disulphide in British English) refers to a functional group with the structure . The linkage is also called an SS-bond or sometimes a disulfide bridge and is usually derived by the coupling of two thiol groups. In ...

. The C-S-S-C dihedral angle is near 90°, as is common for acyclic

disulfide In biochemistry, a disulfide (or disulphide in British English) refers to a functional group with the structure . The linkage is also called an SS-bond or sometimes a disulfide bridge and is usually derived by the coupling of two thiol groups. In ...

Occurrence and reactions

Diethylxanthogen reacts with aqueous base to regenerate the xanthate, at least partially. Diethylxanthogen arises by oxidation of xanthates during

froth flotation Froth flotation is a process for selectively separating hydrophobic materials from hydrophilic. This is used in mineral processing, paper recycling and waste-water treatment industries. Historically this was first used in the mining industry, wher ...

. Diethylxanthogens are thought to participate in the flotation of certain

sulfide mineral The sulfide minerals are a class of minerals containing sulfide (S2−) or disulfide (S22−) as the major anion. Some sulfide minerals are economically important as metal ores. The sulfide class also includes the selenides, the tellurides, the ...

s.{{cite journal , doi=10.1016/0301-7516(90)90018-T, title=FTIR and Flotation Investigation of the Adsorption of Ethyl Xanthate on Activated and Non-Activated Sulfide Minerals , year=1990 , last1=Leppinen , first1=J.O. , journal=International Journal of Mineral Processing , volume=30 , issue=3–4 , pages=245–263

References

Thiocarbonyl compounds