Iron sulfide, also called ferrous sulfide, has a molecular weight of 87.91 g/mol. Let us learn about its use in this article.
With the common molecular formula FeS, iron sulfide can be made by heating iron and sulfide together. Iron sulfide has many uses in research and industries, and its uses are given below:
- Pigment
- Bio industry
- Decontamination
- Manufacturing
- Electronics
- Batteries
- Organic synthesis
Pigment
- Iron sulfide is used as a black pigment in paints and hair dyes.
- Iron sulfide is used as a pigment in the production and designs of glass bottles, containers, and ceramics.
Bio industry
- Nano-sized iron sulfides have applications in the bio industry owing to their enzyme-like activity.
- Nano-sized Iron sulfide can be used in biosensors.
- Nano-sized Iron sulfide can be used as catalysts and antibacterial agents.
Decontamination
- Iron sulfide is used in treating wastewater to remove contaminants.
- Iron sulfide particles are used in treating contaminants in soil and groundwater.
- Iron sulfide is especially effective in removing arsenic from groundwater.
- Iron sulfide is used to treat exhaust gases to remove heavy metal contamination.
Manufacturing
- Iron sulfide is used in steel production as a resulfurizing agent. It behaves as an alloying agent.
Electronics
- Iron sulfide is used in gas sensing
- Iron sulfide has applications as a superconductor.
- Iron sulfide is used in solar cells.
Batteries
- Iron sulfide is used as a cathode in lithium batteries.
- Iron sulfide is used in batteries for stationary energy storage.
Organic synthesis
- Iron sulfide is used in the production of H2S by reacting it with dilute mineral acids.
Conclusion
Iron sulfide is a water-insoluble compound with a black appearance. FeS adopts a tetragonal layered structure. In this article, we gained some knowledge on Iron sulfide and particularly its uses.
Hi….My name is Hariny Rajadurai. I am a graduate of IISER,
Thiruvananthapuram with an Integrated Master’s in Science. I did my major in Chemistry and minor in Biology. During my degree, I worked in supramolecular chemistry and polymer chemistry. I have worked as a Research Associate at a startup where I worked with polymers. I like to write and explain difficult topics in a simplistic way for my readers.