Germanium disulfide explained

Germanium disulfide or Germanium(IV) sulfide is the inorganic compound with the formula GeS₂. It is a white high-melting crystalline solid.^[1] The compound is a 3-dimensional polymer,^{[2] [3]} in contrast to silicon disulfide, which is a one-dimensional polymer. The Ge-S distance is 2.19 Å.

Isolation, production, reactions

Germanium disulfide was first found in samples of argyrodite. The fact that germanium sulfide does not dissolve in aqueous acid facilitated its isolation.^[4]

Germanium disulfide is produced by treating a solution of germanium tetrachloride in a concentrated hydrochloric acid solution with hydrogen sulfide. It precipitates as a white solid.^[5]

It is insoluble in water, it dissolves in aqueous solutions of sodium sulfide owing to the formation of thiogermanates:

Natural occurrence

Natural GeS₂ is restricted to fumaroles of some burning coal-mining waste heaps.^[6]

Notes and References

1. Golubkov, A. V. . Dubrovskii, G. B. . Shelykh, A. I. . Preparation and properties of GeS₂ single crystals . Semiconductors . 1998 . 32 . 7 . 734 - 735 . 10.1134/1.1187494 . 1998Semic..32..734G . 101832592 .
2. Zachariasen, W. H. . The Crystal Structure of Germanium Disulphide . Journal of Chemical Physics . 1936 . 4 . 9 . 618–619 . 10.1063/1.1749915 . 1936JChPh...4..618Z .
3. Kulikova . L. F. . Lityagina . L. M. . Zibrov . I. P. . Dyuzheva . T. I. . Nikolaev . N. A. . Brazhkin . V. V. . High-pressure, high-temperature study of GeS₂ and GeSe₂ . . 50 . 768–774 . 2014 . 8 . 10.1134/S002016851408010X . 98354736 .
4. Winkler, C. . Mittheilungen über das Germanium . Journal für Praktische Chemie . 1886 . 34 . 1 . 177 - 229 . 10.1002/prac.18860340122 .
5. Book: P. W. Schenk. Germanium Disulfide. Handbook of Preparative Inorganic Chemistry, 2nd Ed. . G. Brauer. Academic Press. 1963. NY,NY. 2pages=723-724.
6. Web site: Unnamed (Ge Sulphide).