Formation of Polysulfides in Aqueous Solution

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Abstract
Polysulfides are found to be the reaction intermediates in the oxygenation of aqueous sulfide. The pH dependence of the reaction rates is directly related to the formation of polysulfides. In general, the peak of polysulfide concentrations fall within the range pH 7.0 ± 0.4, and decrease drastically in both acidic and alkaline solutions. Under one atmospheric pressure of oxygen and sulfide concentrations of 10-3 to 10-2M, the corresponding maximum yield of polysulfide conversion varies from 14% to 8%. Usually, for solutions ranging from slightly acidic to neutral, the peak of polysulfide formations comes within half an hour to three hours after the preparation of the reaction mixture. Polysulfides disappear thereafter to form sulfur and sulfur oxyanions. The results confirm a previously proposed reaction mechanism on the oxygenation of sulfide in neutral solution environment involving sulfide, polysulfide, sulfur and sulfur oxyanions.

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