chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...

, boron sulfides refer to a large family of compounds characterized by boron-sulfur bonds. These compounds are colorless solids prone to hydrolysis, a process that reflects their tendency to form boron oxides. In terms of structure, boron typically exhibits an oxidation state of +3, while sulfur exhibits an oxidation state of -2. Sulfide is typically two-coordinate and boron is three coordinate.

Binary boron sulfides

The parent boron sulfide is . According to

X-ray crystallography X-ray crystallography is the experimental science of determining the atomic and molecular structure of a crystal, in which the crystalline structure causes a beam of incident X-rays to Diffraction, diffract in specific directions. By measuring th ...

, this material is polymeric, with 3-coordinate B and 2-coordinate S. It features both four- and six-membered rings. Two sulfur-rich phases are also known, polymeric and molecular . The latter two feature some S-S bonds.

Tertiary phases

From a structural perspective, the simplest members are derivatives of trigonal planar , exemplified by . Other motifs include the following anions: and , which also exist as alkali metal salts.

References

{{Reflist Sulfides