Bisulfide (or bisulphide in British English) is an inorganic anion with the chemical formula HS<sup>−</sup> (also written as SH<sup>−</sup>). It contributes no color to bisulfide salts. It often coexists with hydrogen sulfide, which has a distinctive putrid smell. It is a strong base.
It is an important chemical reagent and an industrial chemical, mainly used in paper pulp industry (Kraft process).
Properties
A variety of salts are known, including sodium hydrosulfide and potassium hydrosulfide. Ammonium hydrosulfide, a component of "stink bombs" has not been isolated as a pure solid. Some compounds described as salts of the sulfide dianion contain primarily hydrosulfide. For example, the hydrated form of sodium sulfide, nominally with the formula , is better described as .
Aqueous bisulfide absorbs light at around 230 nm in the UV–visible spectrum. Using this approach, bisulfide has been detected in the ocean and in sewage.
Basicity
At physiological pH, hydrogen sulfide is almost fully ionized to bisulfide (HS<sup>−</sup>). Therefore, in biochemical settings, "hydrogen sulfide" is often used to mean, bisulfide. Hydrosulfide has been identified as the third gasotransmitter along with nitric oxide and carbon monoxide.
It has a pK<sub>a</sub> of 6.9:
Safety
Bisulfide salts release toxic hydrogen sulfide upon acidification.
See also
- Disulfide
- Sulfide
- Sulfanyl
- Thiol, SH bonded to an organic group
References
hu:Hidrogénszulfid