Silicon disulfide 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 chemist ...

with the formula Si S₂. Like

silicon dioxide Silicon dioxide, also known as silica, is an oxide of silicon with the chemical formula , most commonly found in nature as quartz and in various living organisms. In many parts of the world, silica is the major constituent of sand. Silica is one ...

, this material is

polymer A polymer (; Greek '' poly-'', "many" + ''-mer'', "part") is a substance or material consisting of very large molecules called macromolecules, composed of many repeating subunits. Due to their broad spectrum of properties, both synthetic a ...

ic, but it adopts a 1-dimensional structure quite different from the usual

forms Form is the shape, visual appearance, or configuration of an object. In a wider sense, the form is the way something happens. Form also refers to: *Form (document), a document (printed or electronic) with spaces in which to write or enter data * ...

of SiO₂.

Synthesis, structure, and properties

The material is formed by heating silicon and sulfur or by the exchange reaction between SiO₂ and Al₂S₃. The material consists of chains of edge-shared

tetrahedra In geometry, a tetrahedron (plural: tetrahedra or tetrahedrons), also known as a triangular pyramid, is a polyhedron composed of four triangular faces, six straight edges, and four vertex corners. The tetrahedron is the simplest of all the o ...

, Si(μ-S)₂Si(μS)₂, etc. Like other silicon sulfur-compounds (e.g.,

bis(trimethylsilyl)sulfide Bis(trimethylsilyl) sulfide is the chemical compound with the formula ((CH3)3Si)2S. Often abbreviated ( tms)2S, this colourless, vile-smelling liquid is a useful aprotic source of "S2−" in chemical synthesis. Synthesis The reagent is prepared ...

) SiS₂ hydrolyzes readily to release H₂S. In liquid

ammonia Ammonia is an inorganic compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula . A stable binary hydride, and the simplest pnictogen hydride, ammonia is a colourless gas with a distinct pungent smell. Biologically, it is a common nitrogenous was ...

it is reported to form the imide Si(NH)₂ and NH₄SH, but a recent report has identified crystalline (NH₄)₂ iS₃(NH₃)�2NH₃ as a product which contains the tetrahedral thiosilicate anion, SiS₃(NH₃). Reaction with ethanol gives the

alkoxide In chemistry, an alkoxide is the conjugate base of an alcohol and therefore consists of an organic group bonded to a negatively charged oxygen atom. They are written as , where R is the organic substituent. Alkoxides are strong bases and, whe ...

tetraethyl orthosilicate Tetraethyl orthosilicate, formally named tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), ethyl silicate is the organic chemical compound with the formula Si(OC2H5)4. TEOS is a colorless liquid. It degrades in water. TEOS is the of orthosilicic acid, Si(OH)4. It ...

and H₂S. With bulky tert-butanol, alcoholysis gives

tris(tert-butoxy)silanethiol Tris(''tert''-butoxy)silanethiol is a silicon compound containing three ''tert''-butoxy groups and a rare Si–S–H functional group. This colourless compound serves as an hydrogen donor in radical chain reactions. It was first prepared by al ...

: :3 (CH₃)₃COH + SiS₂ → CH₃)₃COsub>3SiSH + H₂S Reaction with

sodium sulfide Sodium sulfide is a chemical compound with the formula Na2 S, or more commonly its hydrate Na2S·9 H2O. Both the anhydrous and the hydrated salts in pure crystalline form are colorless solids, although technical grades of sodium sulfide are gener ...

magnesium sulfide Magnesium sulfide is an inorganic compound with the formula Mg S. It is a white crystalline material but often is encountered in an impure form that is brown and non-crystalline powder. It is generated industrially in the production of metallic ...

and

aluminum sulfide Aluminum sulfide or aluminium sulphide is a chemical compound with the formula Al2 S3. This colorless species has an interesting structural chemistry, existing in several forms. The material is sensitive to moisture, hydrolyzing to hydrated alumi ...

give

thiosilicate In chemistry and materials science, thiosilicate refers to materials containing anions of the formula . Derivatives where some sulfide is replaced by oxide are also called thiosilicates, examples being materials derived from the oxohexathiodisilica ...

s. SiS₂ is claimed to occur in certain interstellar objects.

References

Inorganic silicon compounds Sulfides Inorganic polymers Dichalcogenides {{Inorganic-compound-stub