Carbon Disulfide Article Index for
Carbon
Website Links For
Carbon
 

Information About

Carbon Disulfide










Carbon disulfide is a colorless Liquid with the formula CS2. It has a pleasant Odor like that of Chloroform , although typically impure samples are yellowish with an unpleasant odor like that of rotting Radish es. The compound is an important building block in Organosulfur Chemistry .


OCCURRENCE AND MANUFACTURE

Small amounts of carbon disulfide are released by Volcanic eruptions and Marsh es. CS2 once was manufactured by combining Carbon (or Coke ) and Sulfur at high temperatures. A lower temperature reaction, requiring only 600 °C utilizes Natural Gas as the carbon source in the presence of Kieselgel or Alumina Catalyst s:Holleman, A. F.; Wiberg, E. "Inorganic Chemistry" Academic Press: San Diego, 2001. ISBN 0-12-352651-5.
:CH4 + 1/2 S8 → CS2 + 2 H2S
The reaction is analogous to the combustion of methane. Although it is structurally similar to carbon dioxide, CS2 is highly flammable:
:CS2 + 3 O2 → CO2 + 2 SO2


REACTIONS

Compared to CO2, CS2 is more reactive toward Nucleophile s and more easily reduced. These differences in reactivity can be attributed to the weaker π donor-ability of the sulfido centers, which renders the carbon more electrophilic. It is widely used in the synthesis of organosulfur compounds such as Metham sodium, a soil fumigant.


Addition of nucleophiles

Nucleophiles such as amines afford Dithiocarbamate s:
:2R2NH + CS2{Link without Title} {Link without Title}
Xanthates form similarly from Alkoxide s:
:RONa + CS2{Link without Title} {Link without Title}
This reaction is the basis of the manufacture of regenerated Cellulose , the main ingredient of Viscose Rayon and Cellophane . Both xanthates and the related thioxanthates (derived from treatment of CS2 with sodium Thiolate s) are used as flotation agents in mineral processing.
Sodium sulfide affords trithiocarbonate:
:Na2S + CS2{Link without Title} 2 {Link without Title}


Reduction

Sodium reduces CS2 to give the heterocycle "dmit2-":Girolami, G. S.; Rauchfuss, T. B. and Angelici, R. J., Synthesis and Technique in Inorganic Chemistry, University Science Books: Mill Valley, CA, 1999.ISBN: 0935702482
::3 CS2 + 4 Na → Na2C3S5 + Na2S
Direct electrochemical reduction affords the tetrathiooxalate anion:Jeroschewski, P. "Electrochemical Preparation of Tetraalkylammonium Salts of Tetrathiooxalic Acid" Zeitschrift für Chemie (1981), volume 21, 412.
::2 CS2 + 2e- → C2S42-


Chlorination

Chlorination of CS2 is the principal route to Carbon Tetrachloride :
: CS2 + 3 Cl2 → CCl4 + S2Cl2
This conversion proceeds via the intermediacy of Thiophosgene , CSCl2.


Coordination chemistry