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Carbon disulfide commonly known as CS2 is a colourless toxic flammable liquid which is used as a solvent, mainly for rubber and sulphur. It belongs to the class of inorganic compounds known as other non-metal sulfides.
Also Read: Carbon and Its Compounds
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Key Terms: Carbon disulfide, nanotubes, organic compounds, endothermic reaction, volatile liquid, molecules, catalyst, nucleophiles, electrophile
What Is Carbon Disulfide?
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Carbon disulfide’s shell structure is an interesting compound of carbon. CS2 comes under an important compound of carbon due to its industrial uses and chemical properties. This one-carbon compound is widely in use in the manufacturing of cellulose rayon and carbon tetrachloride.
Also Read: Classification Of Organic Compounds
Along this, it is also used for manufacturing various organic compounds. Carbon disulfide can be harmful to the eyes, kidneys, blood, heart, liver, nerves, and skin.
Structure Of Carbon Disulfide
Properties Of Carbon Disulfide
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The properties of carbon disulfide are as follows:
- Pure carbon disulfide is a colourless volatile liquid which has a sweet ether-like smell. But, most of the commercially used CS2 is found impure and has a slight yellow colour with an unpleasant odour.
- Carbon Disulfide has a low boiling point of 46.24°C and its melting point is -111.61°C. The vapour in carbon disulfide is heavier than air with a vapour density of 2.67.
- It is a highly flammable material with a flash point at -30°C. Therefore, CS2 is always stored under the layer of water.
- Carbon disulfide is a nonpolar molecule and it cannot form hydrogen bonds with the water molecules.
- It has low reactivity at low temperatures.
- Carbon disulfide is soluble in many organic solvents like chloroform, benzene, etc.
Also Read: Difference Between Organic & Inorganic Compound
Uses Of Carbon Disulfide
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Following is the various uses of Carbon Disulfide:
- Carbon disulfide is used for preparing soil disinfectants.
- It is used in the manufacturing of rayon.
- It is used in the production of carbon tetrachloride.
- It is also useful in manufacturing electronic vacuum tubes.
- In rubber-making industries, it is used as a solvent.
- Carbon disulfide is also used in camphor.
- It is used in generating petroleum catalysts.
- Also used as a pesticide intermediate.
- It acts as a solvent for iodine, phosphorus, resins, etc.
Learn More About:
| Concepts Related To Carbonic Acid | ||
|---|---|---|
| Acid, Base & Salt | Versatile Nature Of Carbon | Carbon Dating |
Manufacturing of Carbon Disulfide
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The commercial manufacturing of carbon disulfide began in the 1880s. It started with the reaction of sulfur with charcoal. Ethane and propane are also used while producing carbon disulfide. When sulfur reacts with carbon at around 750-900°C, the charcoal-sulfur process takes place.
This temperature helps in converting the low reactive S2 to a relatively more reactive S atom and then these sulfur atoms get combined with the carbon and form the following reaction.
| C+2S → CS2 |
This reaction is an endothermic reaction. Liquid carbon disulfide is obtained by this reaction. However, this is not an energy-efficient process. It requires a very high temperature. Combining methane with S8 at around 600°C is a better way.
Also Read: Exothermic Reaction
| 2CH4 + S8 → 2CS2 + 4H2S |
The above process is also called the Hydrocarbon-Sulphur process. The only drawback of this process is the production of H2S which leads to a very bad odour.
Also Read: Hydrocarbons: Types, Properties and Characteristics
Important Reactions of Carbon Disulfide
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Important reactions of carbon disulfide are specified below:
- As mentioned previously CS2 is a volatile liquid and it reacts with air when left uncovered and produces toxic gas i.e., sulfur dioxide.
| CS2 + 3O2 → CO2 + 2SO2 |
Though carbon disulfide is non-reactive with water at room temperature at about 150°C, it will react with water and form carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide.
| CS2 + 2H2O → CO2 + 2H2S |
CCl4 is obtained by reacting chlorine molecules with CS2 in the presence of a catalyst MnCl2/AlCl3.This process is known as chlorination.
| CS2 + 3Cl2 → CCl4 + S2Cl2 |
CS2 has lone electron pairs on the sulfur atoms and it acts as an electrophile. Therefore, carbon disulfide reacts with nucleophiles like amines which leads to the formation of complex compounds.
The reaction of amines with CS2 gives a complex compound which is called dithiocarbamates.
| 2R2NH + CS2 → [NH2+] [R2NCS2-] |
The reaction of alkoxides with CS2 is the most important step in the manufacturing of rayon. Xanthates are formed by this reaction which is an important factor for manufacturing regenerated cellulose which is the main ingredient in the making of rayon.
| RONa + CS2 →Na+[ROCS2-] |
Also Read: Exothermic Reactions
Health Hazards
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CS2 is harmful in many ways. It directly affects the eyes, liver, skin, CNS, cardiovascular system and kidneys as well. It is absorbed in its liquid or vapour form through the help of skin or ingested or inhaled, 0.5 to 5 grams are the general oral lethal dose for humans.
It also leads to disturbance of vision and sensory changes in humans. The lowest lethal dose for a person is 14 mg/kg person.
Also Check:
| Concepts Related to This Chapter | ||
|---|---|---|
| Valency of Carbon | Difference Between Elements and Compounds | Acids & Bases |
| Hydrocarbon | Carbon & Its Compound | Carbon Cycle |
Things To Remember
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- Carbon Disulfide is a colourless volatile liquid and it has a sweet ether-like smell.
- Carbon Disulfide is soluble in many organic solvents like phosphorus, benzene, chloroform etc.
- It has a nonpolar molecule and therefore it can not form hydrogen bonds with the water molecules.
- Carbon disulfide is used in various ways in industries. It is used in manufacturing rayon, rubber etc.
- Along with its uses, we must keep in mind that carbon disulfide is injurious to health. It affects our eyes, liver, CNS, skin, cardiovascular system as well as kidneys.
Sample Questions
Ques: Explain the structure of Carbon Disulfide. (2 Marks)
Ans: In carbon disulfide, a single carbon atom is bonded with two sulfur atoms. In this, carbon has four valence electrons and on the other hand, and sulfur has 6 valence electrons. So, the structure of CS2 becomes S=C=S. A double bond between carbon and sulfur is required to fill the octet of the carbon. Therefore, we have an sp hybridization. It means that the carbon disulfide has a linear structure with a carbon-sulfur bond length of 155.26pm.
Ques: List the uses of the carbon disulfide. (5 Marks)
Ans: Carbon disulfide has many industrial uses. A few of them are as follows:
- Carbon disulfide is a very versatile compound which is primarily used in the production of rayon and cellophane.
- In the manufacturing of carbon tetrachloride, CS2 is used.
- It is also used for cold vulcanization of rubber which is a very important process to give strength, resistance and elasticity to rubber.
- Carbon disulfide is a very essential additive in the process of manufacturing various organosulfur compounds for example Xanthates.
- It is used as a flame lubricant in cutting glass and has also been used for generating petroleum catalysts.
Ques: What is carbon disulfide made up of? (2 Marks)
Ans: It will not be right to assume that the carbon disulfide is made of atoms, just because the molecules consist of atoms. No atom in this has the properties of carbon disulfide. Only the molecules of carbon disulfide contain its properties. Therefore, carbon disulfide is made of molecules and not atoms.
Ques: Does carbon disulfide have intermolecular forces? (2 Marks)
Ans: The carbon disulfide and all the molecules of carbon dioxide are non-polar. In the CS2, the C-S bond is seen to be non-polar, because the carbon and sulfur have similar electronegative and the intermolecular attractions are because of the London dispersion forces.
Ques: What are the properties of Carbon Disulfide? (4 Marks)
Ans: Carbon disulfide possesses different properties. Pure Carbon Disulfide is a colourless volatile liquid which has a sweet ether-like smell. But, most of the commercially used CS2 is found impure and has a slight yellow colour with an unpleasant odour. Carbon Disulfide has a low boiling point of 46.2°C and its melting point is -111.5°C.
The vapour in carbon disulfide is heavier than air with a vapour density of 2.67. This vapour is ignited by the heat of a light bulb and can form explosive mixtures very easily. Carbon disulfide is a nonpolar molecule and it cannot form hydrogen bonds with water molecules. It has low reactivity at low temperatures.
Ques: What are the health hazards due to carbon disulfide? (3 Marks)
Ans: Along with its various uses in the industries, carbon disulfide can be harmful to one's health. It directly affects the eyes, liver, skin, CNS, cardiovascular system and kidneys as also. It is absorbed in its liquid or vapour form through the help of skin or ingested or inhaled, 0.5 to 5 grams are the general oral lethal dose for humans.
It also leads to disturbance of vision and sensory changes in humans. The lowest lethal dose for a person is 14 mg/kg person. A person is advised to not take the higher dose as it can produce a risk to the health.
Ques: What is the molar mass of carbon disulfide? (2 Marks)
Ans: The formula of Carbon Disulfide is CS2.
So, its molar mass will be
= 12.0107 + 2 * 32.065
= 76.1407 gram per mole.
Hence, the molecular mass of carbon disulfide is 76.1407 grams per mole.
Ques: What is known as Carbon Disulfide? (3 Marks)
Ans: Carbon disulfide is an important compound of carbon that is worth studying because of its chemical properties and widespread industrial uses. It is an organosulfur compound and a volatile liquid with the chemical name Carbon Disulfide (CS2).
Carbon disulfide is largely used to purify single-walled carbon nanotubes and in the manufacturing of flotation agents. It is a solvent for bromine, sulfur, rubber, fats, phosphorus, selenium, iodine and resins. It is also used in manufacturing various organic compounds.
Ques: List the uses of carbon disulfide. (5 Marks)
Ans: The various uses of carbon disulfide are:
- Carbon disulfide is used for preparing soil disinfectants.
- It is used in the manufacturing of rayon.
- It is used in the production of carbon tetrachloride.
- It is also useful in manufacturing electronic vacuum tubes.
- In rubber-making industries, it is used as a solvent.
Ques: What are the properties of carbon disulfide? (5 Marks)
Ans: The properties of carbon disulfide are as follows:
- Carbon Disulfide has a low boiling point of 46.24°C and its melting point is -111.61°C. The vapour in carbon disulfide is heavier than air with a vapour density of 2.67.
- It is a highly flammable material with a flash point at -30°C. Therefore, CS2 is always stored under the layer of water.
- Carbon disulfide is a nonpolar molecule and it cannot form hydrogen bonds with the water molecules.
- It has low reactivity at low temperatures.
- Carbon disulfide is soluble in many organic solvents like chloroform, benzene, etc.
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