Bismuth(III) sulfide () is a
chemical compound
A chemical compound is a chemical substance composed of many identical molecules (or molecular entities) containing atoms from more than one chemical element held together by chemical bonds. A molecule consisting of atoms of only one element ...
of
bismuth
Bismuth is a chemical element with the symbol Bi and atomic number 83. It is a post-transition metal and one of the pnictogens, with chemical properties resembling its lighter group 15 siblings arsenic and antimony. Elemental bismuth occurs ...
and
sulfur. It occurs in nature as the mineral
bismuthinite
Bismuthinite is a mineral consisting of bismuth(III) sulfide, bismuth sulfide (bismuth, Bi2sulfur, S3). It is an important ore for bismuth. The crystals are steel-grey to off-white with a metallic luster. It is soft enough to be scratched with ...
.
Synthesis
Bismuth(III) sulfide can be prepared by reacting a bismuth(III)
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 ...
with
hydrogen sulfide:
: 2 Bi
3+ + 3 H
2S → Bi
2S
3 + 6 H
+
Bismuth (III) sulfide can also be prepared by the reaction of elemental bismuth and elemental sulfur in an evacuated silica tube at 500 °C for 96 hours.
: 2 Bi + 3 S → Bi
2S
3
Properties
Bismuth(III) sulfide is
isostructural Isostructural chemical compounds have similar chemical structures. " Isomorphous" when used in the relation to crystal structures is not synonymous: in addition to the same atomic connectivity that characterises isostructural compounds, isomorphous ...
with
stibnite
Stibnite, sometimes called antimonite, is a sulfide mineral with the formula Sb2 S3. This soft grey material crystallizes in an orthorhombic space group. It is the most important source for the metalloid antimony. The name is derived from the ...
(stibnite is one of the forms of
antimony(III) sulfide). Bismuth atoms are in two different environments, both of which have 7 coordinate Bismuth atoms, 4 in a near planar rectangle and three more distant making an irregular 7-coordination group.
It can react with acids to produce the odoriferous
hydrogen sulfide gas.
Bismuth(III) sulfide may be produced in the body by the reaction of the common gastrointestinal drug
bismuth subsalicylate
Bismuth subsalicylate, sold generically as pink bismuth and under the brand names Pepto-Bismol and BisBacter, is an antacid medication used to treat temporary discomforts of the stomach and gastrointestinal tract, such as nausea, heartburn, indig ...
with naturally occurring sulfides; this causes temporary
black tongue when the sulfides are in the mouth and black feces when the sulfides are in the colon.
Uses
It is used as a starting material to produce many other bismuth compounds.
[Pradyot Patnaik. ''Handbook of Inorganic Chemicals''. McGraw-Hill, 2002, ]
References
{{Sulfides
Bismuth sulfide
Sulfides