Barium sulfide

Barium sulfide
Identifiers
3D model (JSmol)
ChEBI
ChemSpider
ECHA InfoCard 100.040.180 Edit this at Wikidata
EC Number
  • 244-214-4
13627
UNII
UN number UN3134
  • InChI=1S/Ba.S/q+2;-2 checkY
    Key: CJDPJFRMHVXWPT-UHFFFAOYSA-N checkY
  • InChI=1/Ba.S/q+2;-2
    Key: CJDPJFRMHVXWPT-UHFFFAOYAO
  • [Ba+2].[S-2]
Properties
BaS
Molar mass 169.39 g·mol−1
Appearance White solid
Odor Rotten-egg like
Density 4.3 g/cm3 (20 °C (68 °F))
Melting point 2,235 °C (4,055 °F; 2,508 K)
Boiling point decomposes
  • 8.94 g/100 mL (25 °C (77 °F))
  • Reacts (100 °C (212 °F))
10.86
Structure
Halite (cubic), cF8
Fm3m, No. 225
m3m
a = 6.45 Å, b = 6.45 Å, c = 6.45 Å
α = 90°, β = 90°, γ = 90°
268.50 Å3
4
  • Octahedral (Ba2+)
  • Octahedral (S2−)
Thermochemistry
49.4 J⋅mol−1⋅K−1
78.2 J⋅mol−1⋅K−1
−460.0 kJ⋅mol−1
−456.0 kJ⋅mol−1
Enthalpy of fusion (ΔfH⦵fus)
 63 kJ⋅mol−1
Hazards
GHS labelling:
GHS06: ToxicGHS07: Exclamation markGHS09: Environmental hazard
Danger
H290, H301, H314, H332, H400
P234, P260, P264, P270, P271, P273, P280, P301+P310+P330, P301+P330+P331, P303+P361+P353, P304+P340+P310, P305+P351+P338+P310, P363, P390, P391, P405, P501
NFPA 704 (fire diamond)
NFPA 704 four-colored diamondHealth 3: Short exposure could cause serious temporary or residual injury. E.g. chlorine gasFlammability 0: Will not burn. E.g. waterInstability 0: Normally stable, even under fire exposure conditions, and is not reactive with water. E.g. liquid nitrogenSpecial hazards (white): no code
3
0
0
0.5 mg/m3 (as Ba) (TWA)
Lethal dose or concentration (LD, LC):
271 mg/kg (rat, oral)
NIOSH (US health exposure limits):
PEL (Permissible)
 0.5 mg/m3
REL (Recommended)
 0.5 mg/m3
IDLH (Immediate danger)
 50 mg/m3
Related compounds
Other anions
Other cations
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
checkY verify (what is checkYX markN ?)

Barium sulfide is the inorganic compound with the formula BaS. BaS is the barium compound produced on the largest scale. It is an important precursor to other barium compounds including barium carbonate and the pigment lithopone, ZnS/BaSO4. Like other chalcogenides of the alkaline earth metals, BaS is a short wavelength emitter for electronic displays. It is colorless, although like many sulfides, it is commonly obtained in impure colored forms.

Discovery

BaS was prepared by the Italian alchemist Vincenzo Cascariolo (also known as Vincentius or Vincentinus Casciarolus or Casciorolus, 1571–1624) via the thermo-chemical reduction of barium sulfate (BaSO4, available as the mineral barite). It is currently manufactured by an improved version of Cascariolo's process using coke in place of flour and charcoal. This kind of conversion is called a carbothermic reaction:

BaSO4 + 2 C → BaS + 2 CO2

and also:

BaSO4 + 4 C → BaS + 4 CO

The basic method remains in use today. BaS dissolves in water. These aqueous solutions, when treated with sodium carbonate or carbon dioxide, give a white solid of barium carbonate (BaCO3), a source material for many commercial barium compounds.

According to Harvey (1957), in 1603, Vincenzo Cascariolo used barite, found at the bottom of Mount Paterno near Bologna, in one of his non-fruitful attempts to produce gold. After grinding and heating the mineral with charcoal under reducing conditions, he obtained a persistent luminescent material that soon came to be known as Lapis Boloniensis, or Bolognian stone. The phosphorescence of the material obtained by Casciarolo made it a curiosity.

Preparation

A modern procedure proceeds from barium carbonate and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) at 100 °C (212 °F):

BaCO3 + H2S ΔH→ BaS + H2O + CO2

It may also be prepared by direct calcination of the elements in a ratio of 1:1.05 (Barium:Sulfur) in an inert atmosphere:

Ba + S ΔH→ BaS

Various other barium sulfides are produced when an excess of sulfur is used depending on the ratio.

Properties

The observed melting point of barium sulfide is highly sensitive to impurities.

Safety

BaS is poisonous by ingestion or inhalation, as are other water soluble or acid-reactive barium compounds. It evolves toxic hydrogen sulfide gas on contact with acids or high temperature water.

Acute barium poisoning through ingestion or inhalation of large amounts causes a rapid onset of gastrointestinal symptoms and hypoalkemia. Chronic exposure may cause adverse renal effects. It is believed that the mechanism of toxicity may be due to the action of barium as a competive potassium channel antagonist, which shifts extracellular potassium to intracellular resultsing in a diminished ability of nerve cells to respond to stimulation.

References

  1. 1 2 Haynes, William M., ed. (2016). CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics (97th ed.). Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press. pp. 4–50, 5–5, 6–155, 9–60. ISBN 9781498754293.
  2. 1 2 3 "SDS - Barium sulfide" (pdf). www.fishersci.com. Revision 4. ThermoFisher Scientific. 24 December 2025. Retrieved 31 August 2026.
  3. 1 2 Stinn, Caspar; Nose, Katsuhiro; Okabe, Toru; Allanore, Antoine (December 2017). "Experimentally Determined Phase Diagram for the Barium Sulfide-Copper(I) Sulfide System Above 873 K (600 °C)". Metallurgical and Materials Transactions B. 48 (6): 2922–2929. doi:10.1007/s11663-017-1107-5.
  4. ↑ "Materials Data on BaS". Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA: LBNL Materials Project. 13 July 2020. doi:10.17188/1190987. OSTI 1190987. mp-1500, DOE Contract Number: AC02-05CH11231.
  5. 1 2 Sigma-Aldrich Co., Barium sulfide.
  6. ↑ Greenwood, Norman N.; Earnshaw, Alan (1997). Chemistry of the Elements (2nd ed.). Butterworth-Heinemann. p. 678. doi:10.1016/C2009-0-30414-6. ISBN 978-0-08-037941-8.
  7. ↑ Holleman, Arnold Frederik; Wiberg, Egon (2001), Wiberg, Nils (ed.), Inorganic Chemistry, translated by Eagleson, Mary; Brewer, William, San Diego/Berlin: Academic Press/De Gruyter, ISBN 0-12-352651-5[page needed]
  8. ↑ Vij, D. R.; Singh, N. (1992). Optical and electrical properties of II-VI wide gap semiconducting barium sulfide. Conf. Phys. Technol. Semicond. Devices Integr. Circuits, 1992. Proceedings of SPIE. Vol. 1523. pp. 608–612. Bibcode:1992SPIE.1523..608V. doi:10.1117/12.634082.
  9. ↑ F. Licetus, Litheosphorus, sive de lapide Bononiensi lucem in se conceptam ab ambiente claro mox in tenebris mire conservante, Utini, ex typ. N. Schiratti, 1640. See http://www.chem.leeds.ac.uk/delights/texts/Demonstration_21.htm Archived 13 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ↑ Kresse, Robert; Baudis, Ulrich; Jäger, Paul; Riechers, H. Hermann; Wagner, Heinz; Winkler, Jochen; Wolf, Hans Uwe (2007). "Barium and Barium Compounds". Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. Weinheim: Wiley-VCH. doi:10.1002/14356007.a03_325.pub2. ISBN 978-3527306732.
  11. ↑ Harvey, E. Newton (1957). "1 - Far Eastern and Classical Antiquity". A History of Luminescence from the Earliest Times Until 1900. Memoirs of the American Philosophical Society. Vol. 44. Philadelphia, PA: The American Philosophical Society. pp. 11–43. OCLC 390708. OL 6222749M.
  12. ↑ Smet, Philippe F.; Moreels, Iwan; Hens, Zeger; Poelman, Dirk (2010). "Luminescence in Sulfides: A Rich History and a Bright Future". Materials. 3 (4): 2834–2883. Bibcode:2010Mate....3.2834S. doi:10.3390/ma3042834. hdl:1854/LU-1243707. ISSN 1996-1944. PMC 5445864.
  13. ↑ Hardev Singh Virk (2014). "History of Luminescence from Ancient to Modern Times". ResearchGate. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  14. ↑ "Lapis Boloniensis". www.zeno.org. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 3 January 2011.
  15. ↑ Lemery, Nicolas (1714). Trait℗e universel des drogues simples.
  16. ↑ Ozanam, Jacques; Montucla, Jean Etienne; Hutton, Charles (1814). Recreations in mathematics and natural philosophy .
  17. ↑ Ehrlich, P. (1963). "17. Alkaline Earth Metals". In Brauer, Georg (ed.). Handbook of Preparative Inorganic Chemistry. Vol. 1. Translated by Riley, Reed F. (2 ed.). New York, NY: Academic Press. p. 968-9. OCLC 843200092.
  18. 1 2 Ropp, R.C. (6 March 2013). "Group 16 (O, S, Se, Te) Alkaline Earth Compounds". Encyclopedia of the Alkaline Earth Compounds. Aalborg, Denmark: Elsevier A/S. pp. 105–197. doi:10.1016/B978-0-444-59550-8.00003-X. ISBN 9780444595508.
  19. ↑ "Barium | Medical Management Guidelines | Toxic Substance Portal | ATSDR". wwwn.cdc.gov. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Retrieved 31 August 2026.