Phosphorus pentasulfide is obtained by the reaction of liquid white phosphorus (P4) with sulfur above 300 °C. The first synthesis of P4S10 by Berzelius in 1843[5] was by this method. Alternatively, P4S10 can be formed by reacting elemental sulfur or pyrite, FeS2, with ferrophosphorus, a crude form of Fe2P (a byproduct of white phosphorus (P4) production from phosphate rock):
4 Fe2P + 18 S → P4S10 + 8 FeS
4 Fe2P + 18 FeS2heat→P4S10 + 26 FeS
Applications
Approximately 150,000 tons of P4S10 are produced annually. The compound is mainly converted to other derivatives for use as lubrication additives such as zinc dithiophosphates.
It is widely used in the production of sodium dithiophosphate for applications as a flotation agent in the concentration of molybdenite minerals. It is also used in the production of pesticides such as Parathion and Malathion.[6] It is also a component of some amorphous solid electrolytes (e.g. Li2S-P2S5) for some types of lithium batteries.
Phosphorus pentasulfide is a dual-use material, for the production of early insecticides such as Amiton and also for the manufacture of the related VXnerve agents.
Reactivity
Due to hydrolysis by atmospheric moisture, P4S10 evolves hydrogen sulfideH2S, thus P4S10 is associated with a rotten egg odour. Aside from H2S, hydrolysis of P4S10 eventually gives phosphoric acid:
^Scott D. Edmondson, Mousumi Sannigrahi "Phosphorus(V) sulfide" Encyclopedia of Reagents for Organic Synthesis 2004 John Wiley & Sons. doi:10.1002/047084289X.rp166s.pub2
^Corbridge, D. E. C. (1995). Phosphorus: An Outline of its Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Technology (5th ed.). Amsterdam: Elsevier. ISBN0-444-89307-5.
^Berzelius, Jons J. (1843). "Ueber die Verbindungen des Phosphors mit Schwefel", parts I and II. Annalen der Chemie und Pharmacie, vol. 46, issue 2, pp. 129–154, 251–281. doi:10.1002/jlac.18430460202 and 10.1002/jlac.18430460303.
^Almasi, Lucreţia (1971). "The Sulfur–Phosphorus Bond". In Senning, Alexander (ed.). Sulfur in Organic and Inorganic Chemistry. Vol. 1. New York: Marcel Dekker. p. 69. ISBN0-8247-1615-9. LCCN70-154612.
^Ozturk, T.; Ertas, E.; Mert, O. (2010). "A Berzelius Reagent, Phosphorus Decasulfide (P4S10), in Organic Syntheses". Chemical Reviews. 110 (6): 3419–3478. doi:10.1021/cr900243d. PMID20429553.
^Bergman, Jan; Pettersson, Birgitta; Hasimbegovic, Vedran; Svensson, Per H. (2011). "Thionations Using a P4S10−Pyridine Complex in Solvents Such as Acetonitrile and Dimethyl Sulfone". The Journal of Organic Chemistry. 76 (6): 1546–1553. doi:10.1021/jo101865y. PMID21341727.