Potassium hydrosulfide is the inorganic compound with the formula KSH. This colourless

salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quant ...

consists of the cation and the

bisulfide Bisulfide (or bisulphide in British English) is an inorganic anion with the chemical formula HS− (also written as SH−). It contributes no color to bisulfide salts, and its salts may have a distinctive putrid smell. It is a strong base. Bisul ...

anion . It is the product of the half-neutralization of hydrogen sulfide with

potassium hydroxide Potassium hydroxide is an inorganic compound with the formula K OH, and is commonly called caustic potash. Along with sodium hydroxide (NaOH), KOH is a prototypical strong base. It has many industrial and niche applications, most of which exp ...

. The compound is used in the synthesis of some organosulfur compounds. It is prepared by neutralizing aqueous KOH with . Aqueous solutions of potassium sulfide consist of a mixture of potassium hydrosulfide and

. The structure of the potassium hydrosulfide resembles that for potassium chloride. Their structure is however complicated by the non-spherical symmetry of the

anion An ion () is an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge. The charge of an electron is considered to be negative by convention and this charge is equal and opposite to the charge of a proton, which is considered to be positive by conve ...

s, but these tumble rapidly in the solid at high temperatures. Addition of sulfur gives dipotassium pentasulfide.

Synthesis

Potassium hydrosulfide is synthesized by the reaction between a solution of potassium sulfide with excess hydrogen sulfide.

References

{{Potassium compounds Potassium compounds Hydrosulfides