Germanium disulfide or Germanium(IV) sulfide is the
inorganic compound
In chemistry, an inorganic compound is typically a chemical compound that lacks carbon–hydrogen bonds, that is, a compound that is not an organic compound. The study of inorganic compounds is a subfield of chemistry known as '' inorganic chemis ...
with the formula
Ge S2. It is a white high-melting
crystalline
A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macros ...
solid.
The compound is a 3-dimensional polymer,
in contrast to
silicon disulfide
Silicon disulfide is the inorganic compound with the formula Si S2. Like silicon dioxide, this material is polymeric, but it adopts a 1-dimensional structure quite different from the usual forms of SiO2.
Synthesis, structure, and properties
Th ...
, which is a one-dimensional polymer. The Ge-S distance is 2.19 Ă….
History
Germanium disulfide was the first
germanium
Germanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ge and atomic number 32. It is lustrous, hard-brittle, grayish-white and similar in appearance to silicon. It is a metalloid in the carbon group that is chemically similar to its group neighbors ...
compound found by
Clemens Winkler
Clemens Alexander Winkler (December 26, 1838 – October 8, 1904) was a German chemist who discovered the element germanium in 1886, solidifying Dmitri Mendeleev's theory of periodicity.
Life
Winkler was born in 1838 in Freiberg, Kingdom ...
, during the analysis of
argyrodite
Argyrodite is an uncommon silver germanium sulfide mineral with formula Ag8GeS6. The color is iron-black with a purplish tinge, and the luster metallic.
Discovered by Clemens Winkler in 1886, it is of interest as it was described shortly after t ...
. The fact that germanium sulfide does not dissolve in aqueous acid made it possible for Winkler to isolate the new element.
Production
Germanium disulfide is created by reacting
hydrogen sulfide
Hydrogen sulfide is a chemical compound with the formula . It is a colorless chalcogen-hydride gas, and is poisonous, corrosive, and flammable, with trace amounts in ambient atmosphere having a characteristic foul odor of rotten eggs. The under ...
with
germanium tetrachloride
Germanium tetrachloride is a colourless, fuming liquid with a peculiar, acidic odour. It is used as an intermediate in the production of purified germanium metal. In recent years, GeCl4 usage has increased substantially due to its use as a reagent ...
in a concentrated
hydrochloric acid
Hydrochloric acid, also known as muriatic acid, is an aqueous solution of hydrogen chloride. It is a colorless solution with a distinctive pungent smell. It is classified as a strong acid. It is a component of the gastric acid in the dige ...
solution.
Natural occurrence
Natural GeS
2 is restricted to fumaroles of some burning coal-mining waste heaps.
References
Germanium(IV) compounds
Sulfides
Dichalcogenides
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