Potassium hydrosulfide
Encyclopedia
Potassium hydrosulfide is the inorganic compound
Inorganic compound
Inorganic compounds have traditionally been considered to be of inanimate, non-biological origin. In contrast, organic compounds have an explicit biological origin. However, over the past century, the classification of inorganic vs organic compounds has become less important to scientists,...

  with the formula KHS. This colourless salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...

 consists of the cation K+ and the bisulfide
Bisulfide
The bisulfide ion, also called hydrogensulfide or hydrosulfide, is the anion with the formula [HS]− . This species is the conjugate base of hydrogen sulfide and in its turn also dissociates in sulfide:A variety of salts are known, including sodium hydrosulfide and potassium hydrosulfide...

 anion [SH]. It is the product of the half-neutralization of hydrogen sulfide
Hydrogen sulfide
Hydrogen sulfide is the chemical compound with the formula . It is a colorless, very poisonous, flammable gas with the characteristic foul odor of expired eggs perceptible at concentrations as low as 0.00047 parts per million...

 with potassium hydroxide
Potassium hydroxide
Potassium hydroxide is an inorganic compound with the formula KOH, commonly called caustic potash.Along with sodium hydroxide , this colorless solid is a prototypical strong base. It has many industrial and niche applications. Most applications exploit its reactivity toward acids and its corrosive...

. The compound is used in the synthesis of some organosulfur compounds. It is prepared by neutralizing aqueous KOH with H2S. Aqueous solutions of potassium sulfide
Potassium sulfide
Potassium sulfide is the inorganic compound with the formula K2S. The colourless solid is rarely encountered, because it reacts readily with water, a reaction that affords potassium bisulfide and potassium hydroxide .-Structure:...

 consist of a mixture of potassium hydrosulfide and potassium hydroxide
Potassium hydroxide
Potassium hydroxide is an inorganic compound with the formula KOH, commonly called caustic potash.Along with sodium hydroxide , this colorless solid is a prototypical strong base. It has many industrial and niche applications. Most applications exploit its reactivity toward acids and its corrosive...

.

The structure of the potassium hydrosulfide resembles that for potassium chloride
Potassium chloride
The chemical compound potassium chloride is a metal halide salt composed of potassium and chlorine. In its pure state, it is odorless and has a white or colorless vitreous crystal appearance, with a crystal structure that cleaves easily in three directions. Potassium chloride crystals are...

. Their structure is however complicated by the non-spherical symmetry of the SH anions, but these tumble rapidly in the solid high temperatures.
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