Sulfides, metal, decompositions

SAFETY PROFILE Poison by ingestion and intraperitoneal routes. A trace mineral added to animal feeds. Potentially explosive reaction with charcoal + ozone, metals (e.g., powdered aluminum, copper), arsenic carbon, phosphoms, sulfur, alkali metal hydrides, alkaline earth metal hydrides, antimony sulfide, arsenic sulfide, copper sulfide, tin sulfide, metal cyanides, metal thiocyanates, manganese dioxide, phosphorus. Violent reaction with organic matter. When heated to decomposition it emits very toxic fumes of I and K2O. See also lODATES. 

The synthesis of materials via thermal decomposition of single source precursors such as coordination compounds and metal-organic coordination compoimds represents a synthetic methodology, which is unfortunately too little investigated. The main objective of this chapter is to reveal the power of the approach uid the key role played by thermcd cuialysis in controlling the materials phase composition, size, cuid porosity. The thermcd trcuisformations of the coordination precursors toward different materials such as oxides, sulfides, metals, nitrides, composites, and new complexes are equally analyzed. 

The main products of SF arc decomposition in the presence of air are SOF2, SF, and SOF plus metal fluorides and sulfides (28). 

Direct splitting requires temperatures above 977°C. Yields of around 30% at 1127°C are possible by equiUbrium. The use of catalysts to promote the reaction can lower the temperature to around the 327—727°C range. A number of transition metal sulfides and disulfides are being studied as potential catalysts (185). Thermal decomposition of H2S at 1130°C over a Pt—Co catalyst with about 25% H2 recovery has been studied. 

A more economical route appears to be the iadirect route, usiag a two-step reactioa sequeace via a sulfuri2atioa and desulfuri2ation of a metal sulfide. Decomposition usiag the mixed oxidatioa-state Ni2S2 has beea proposed ... 

Examples of similar processes are the decomposition of precipitated aluminum trHiydroxide to alumina, which is the feed for the electrolytic production of aluminum metal, and the drying of wet sulfide concentrates in preparation for flash roasting (see Aluminumand aluminum alloys). 

AEROPHINE 3418A promoter is widely used ia North and South America, AustraHa, Europe, and Asia for the recovery of copper, lead, and ziac sulfide minerals (see Elotatton). Advantages ia comparison to other collectors (15) are said to be improved selectivity and recoveries ia the treatment of complex ores, higher recoveries of associated precious metals, and a stable grade—recovery relationship which is particularly important to the efficient operation of automated circuits. Additionally, AEROPHINE 3418A is stable and, unlike xanthates (qv), does not form hazardous decomposition products such as carbon disulfide. It is also available blended with other collectors to enhance performance characteristics. 

Ghalcogenides. Several sulfides are known, but only PuS has been studied ia detail. It is best produced by vacuum decomposition of PuH to finely divided metal at 400°C, followed by reaction with H2S, vacuum decomposition, and re-reaction with H2S several times. It is not attacked by H2O up... 

Bina Selenides. Most biaary selenides are formed by beating selenium ia the presence of the element, reduction of selenites or selenates with carbon or hydrogen, and double decomposition of heavy-metal salts ia aqueous solution or suspension with a soluble selenide salt, eg, Na2Se or (NH 2S [66455-76-3]. Atmospheric oxygen oxidizes the selenides more rapidly than the corresponding sulfides and more slowly than the teUurides. Selenides of the alkah, alkaline-earth metals, and lanthanum elements are water soluble and readily hydrolyzed. Heavy-metal selenides are iasoluble ia water. Polyselenides form when selenium reacts with alkah metals dissolved ia hquid ammonia. Metal (M) hydrogen selenides of the M HSe type are known. Some heavy-metal selenides show important and useful electric, photoelectric, photo-optical, and semiconductor properties. Ferroselenium and nickel selenide are made by sintering a mixture of selenium and metal powder. 

The heavy metal salts, ia contrast to the alkah metal salts, have lower melting points and are more soluble ia organic solvents, eg, methylene chloride, chloroform, tetrahydrofiiran, and benzene. They are slightly soluble ia water, alcohol, ahphatic hydrocarbons, and ethyl ether (18). Their thermal decompositions have been extensively studied by dta and tga (thermal gravimetric analysis) methods. They decompose to the metal sulfides and gaseous products, which are primarily carbonyl sulfide and carbon disulfide ia varying ratios. In some cases, the dialkyl xanthate forms. Solvent extraction studies of a large number of elements as their xanthate salts have been reported (19). 

Corrosion products and deposits. All sulfate reducers produce metal sulfides as corrosion products. Sulfide usually lines pits or is entrapped in material just above the pit surface. When freshly corroded surfaces are exposed to hydrochloric acid, the rotten-egg odor of hydrogen sulfide is easily detected. Rapid, spontaneous decomposition of metal sulfides occurs after sample removal, as water vapor in the air adsorbs onto metal surfaces and reacts with the metal sulfide. The metal sulfides are slowly converted to hydrogen sulfide gas, eventually removing all traces of sulfide (Fig. 6.11). Therefore, only freshly corroded surfaces contain appreciable sulfide. More sensitive spot tests using sodium azide are often successful at detecting metal sulfides at very low concentrations on surfaces. 

Scheme 1. Synthesis of uniform sized nanociystals of metals, metal oxides, and metal sulfides firom thermal decomposition of metal-surfactant complexes.

The most important undesired metallic impurities are nickel and vanadium, present in porphyrinic structures that originate from plants and are predominantly found in the heavy residues. In addition, iron may be present due to corrosion in storage tanks. These metals deposit on catalysts and give rise to enhanced carbon deposition (nickel in particular). Vanadium has a deleterious effect on the lattice structure of zeolites used in fluid catalytic cracking. A host of other elements may also be present. Hydrodemetallization is strictly speaking not a catalytic process, because the metallic elements remain in the form of sulfides on the catalyst. Decomposition of the porphyrinic structures is a relatively rapid reaction and as a result it occurs mainly in the front end of the catalyst bed, and at the outside of the catalyst particles. 

The aqueous decomposition of thiourea to sulfide and cyanamide has been found to be catalyzed by metal hydroxide species and colloidal metal hydroxide precipitates. Kitaev suggested that Cd(OH)2 is actually required for CdS film formation to occur by adsorption of thiourea on the metal hydroxide particles, followed by decomposition of the Cd(OH)2-thiourea complex to CdS. Kaur et al. [241] found... 

In situ metallization has been claimed to provide a convenient method for the preparation of metal-deposited and metal sulfide deposited CdS during photocatalytic decomposition of aqueous sulfide. As-prepared MS/CdS and M/CdS bifunctional photocatalysts (MS = Pt or Ir sulfide M = Pt or Ir) were reported to be more active photocatalysts than CdS and ex-situ metallized CdS [285]. 

The most intensive development of the nanoparticle area concerns the synthesis of metal particles for applications in physics or in micro/nano-electronics generally. Besides the use of physical techniques such as atom evaporation, synthetic techniques based on salt reduction or compound precipitation (oxides, sulfides, selenides, etc.) have been developed, and associated, in general, to a kinetic control of the reaction using high temperatures, slow addition of reactants, or use of micelles as nanoreactors [15-20]. Organometallic compounds have also previously been used as material precursors in high temperature decomposition processes, for example in chemical vapor deposition [21]. Metal carbonyls have been widely used as precursors of metals either in the gas phase (OMCVD for the deposition of films or nanoparticles) or in solution for the synthesis after thermal treatment [22], UV irradiation or sonolysis [23,24] of fine powders or metal nanoparticles. 

When colloids of metal sulfides, selenides, phosphides and arsenides are illxuninated in the presence of air, decomposition takes place. Metal ions migrate into solution and sulfate, selenite, phosphate or arsenate are formed. The process was first investigated in the case of colloidal CdS... 

Alone, or Metals, or Metal compounds Mellor, 1940, Vol. 8, 327 1967, Vol. 8, Suppl. 2.2, 84, 96 It is an explosive of positive oxygen balance, less stable than ammonium nitrate, and has been studied in detail. Stable on slow heating to 300°C, it decomposes explosively on rapid heating or under confinement. Presence of zinc, copper, most other metals and their acetylides, nitrides, oxides or sulfides cause flaming decomposition above the m.p. (70°C). Commercial cobalt (cubes) causes an explosion also. 

Interaction of an electrophilic carbene or carbenoid with R—S—R compounds often results in the formation of sulfonium ylides. If the carbene substituents are suited to effectively stabilize a negative charge, these ylides are likely to be isolable otherwiese, their intermediary occurence may become evident from products of further transformation. Ando 152 b) has given an informative review on sulfonium ylide chemistry, including their formation by photochemical or copper-catalyzed decomposition of diazocarbonyl compounds. More recent examples, including the generation and reactions of ylides obtained by metal-catalyzed decomposition of diazo compounds in the presence of thiophenes (Sect. 4.2), allyl sulfides and allyl dithioketals (Sect. 2.3.4) have already been presented. 

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