Ferric Sulfide(Fe2S3) Properties(25 Facts You Should) know

Ferric Sulfide is an inorganic chemical compound composed of Iron and Sulfur and is known as a binary compound. Let us discuss some properties of Ferric Sulfide (Fe2S3).

The solubility of Fe2S3 in water is 0.0062 g/L. Yellowish green in color and starts to decompose at the temperature of 20°C. Iron sesquisulfide and Diiron trisulfide are the other names of Fe2S3.

In the following section of the article, we are going to discuss the chemical formula, electronic configuration, molar mass, viscosity with boiling point etc.

Ferric Sulfide IUPAC name

The IUPAC (international union of pure and applied chemistry) name of Ferric Sulfide is Iron trisulfide.

Ferric Sulfide chemical formula

Ferric Sulfide has the chemical formula Fe2S3 . In this formula, The two Fe atoms are attached to 3 Sulfide atoms.

Ferric Sulfide CAS number

The CAS number of Fe2S3 is 11126-12-8.

Ferric Sulfide ChemSpider ID

The  ChemSpider ID of Fe2S3 is 141408.

Ferric Sulfide chemical classification

  •  FeS (mackinawite) a mineral tubular crystal which is gray-white in color.
  • Fe1−xS (pyrrhotite) a weakly magnetic mineral and mostly used for housing foundation.
  •  FeS2p (pyrite) is also called fool’s gold as it is metallic yellow in color.
  • FeS2m (marcasite) the luster is metallic with orthorhombic crystal structure.
  • Fe3S4 (greigite) pale pink in color with a cubic crystal system.
  • Fe9S11 (smythite) worked as a strong catalyst.

Ferric Sulfide molar mass

The molar mass of Fe2S3 is 87.910 g/mol.

Ferric Sulfide color

Fe2S3 is black in color and is insoluble in water.

Ferric Sulfide viscosity

The viscosity of Fe2S3 is 4.6 Pa/s at 260.15 K and 0.0070 Pa/s at  285.15 K, both the values are very high due to the solid nature and insolubility of the Fe2S3 with inorganic solvents.

Ferric Sulfide molar density

4.84 g/cm3 is the molar density of Fe2S3.

Ferric Sulfide melting point

The melting point of Ferric Sulfide is 1,194 °C, this is high due to the intermolecular space as  Fe2S3 is a solid compound in which molecules or atoms are compacted very closely and it needs a high temperature at which it starts to melt.

Ferric Sulfide boiling point

The boiling point of Fe2S3 is 760 mm Hg, this is high because of the strong bonds between the atoms of Fe2S3, thus a  big amount of energy is required break the bonds so that the compound can get boiled at a certain temperature.

Ferric Sulfide state at room temperature

Fe2S3 is solid at room temperature as it is the mineral compound of the sulfur family, but due to the solid nature of iron and strong intermolecular forces between the atoms, it needs a high temperature to change the state which cannot be possible at room temperature.

Ferric Sulfide ionic/covalent bond

Fe2S3  is bounded by ionic bonds as the oxidation states of both Sulfide and iron are different from each other and to satisfy the valency and create a bond, exchanging of electrons takes place due to which both of them attend charge and become ions, and forms the ionic bond.

Screenshot 20230215 173242 Chrome 1
Ionic bond in Fe3S3

Ferric Sulfide ionic/covalent radius

The ionic radius of Fe2S3 is 123.5 pm (pico-meter).

Ferric Sulfide electron configuration

The electronic configuration is the division of electrons around the orbitals in the atoms they are named s,p,d, and f. Let us explain the electronic configuration of Fe2S3.

The electronic configuration of Fe3+ is  1s2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d5 and S2+ is 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6.

Ferric Sulfide oxidation state

The oxidation state of Ferric is 3+ and the oxidation state of Sulfide is 2, as the atoms of both chemicals combine the oxidation state atoms will merge in opposite to each other and thus the formula is Fe2S3.

Ferric Sulfide acidity/alkaline

Fe2Sdoes not contain acidity or alkaline form as there is a lack of atoms, hydrogen which are  responsible for the acidic nature of any chemical compound.

Is Ferric Sulfide odourless

 Fe2S3  is an odourless compound.

Is Ferric Sulfide paramagnetic

Paramagnetism is a phenomenon where the electrons are not paired at the last orbital of an atom. Let us discuss whether Fe2S3  is paramagnetic or not.

Fe2S3 is paramagnetic in nature as the color is black which is due to the phenomena of unpaired electron.

Ferric Sulfide hydrates

Fe2S3 forms hydrates (Fe2H3OS3), the IUPAC name is Iron Hydrogen Sulfide. Its molecular weight is 226.9 g/mol.The reactivity of iron hydrogen sulfide is always high in liquid medium.

Ferric Sulfide crystal structure

The structure of Fe2S3 is trigonal layered as the atoms of the chemical are linked with each other by making different layers of trigonal shape and the distance of each particle is 2.5967 A°.

Ferric Sulfide polarity and conductivity

  • Fe2S3 is a polar compound as the bond between the atoms is ionic, indicating that electrons are responsible for making the bonds. Due to this Fe2S3 has some polarity.
  • The Fe2S3 like pyrite shows some conductivity in semiconductors with some resistivity of 1ohm m-1.

Ferric Sulfide reaction with acid

Ferric chloride and Hydrogen Sulfide gas are the products when  Fe2S3 reacts with acid like Hydrogen Chloride.

Fe2S3 + 6HCl = 2FeCl3 + 3H2S

Ferric Sulfide reaction with base

Fe2S3 does not react with any type of base because of its polarity and ionic nature.

Ferric Sulfide reaction with oxide

Fe2S3 is highly reactive with oxygen and forms the oxide of Iron sulfide which is further used for the ignition of any oil or gas.

Fe2S3 + O2 = Fe2O2S3

Ferric Sulfide reaction with metal

Fe2S3 is reactive with metal zinc, as it is more reactive than iron gets changed in grey precipitated form as it comes in contact with zinc and the remaining part of zinc sulfide is colorless.

Fe2S3 + 3Zn = 2Fe + 3ZnS

Conclusion 

Fe2S3 is highly reactive with acids and oxides due to its polar nature and can be used to complete the deficiency of iron in any other chemical compound. It is also used as a good fertilizer to give proper nutrition and iron for growing plants like alpines, and ericas.