Carbon disulfide

Carbon disulfide is a colorless volatile liquid with the formula CS₂. The compound is used frequently as a building block in organic chemistry as well as an industrial and chemical non-polar solvent. It has an "ether-like" odor, but commercial samples are typically contaminated with foul-smelling impurities, such as carbonyl sulfide.

Occurrence and manufacture

Small amounts of carbon disulfide are released by volcanic eruptions and marshes. CS₂ once was manufactured by combining carbon (or coke) and sulfur at high temperatures. A lower-temperature reaction, requiring only 600 °C, utilizes natural gas as the carbon source in the presence of silica gel or alumina catalysts:

The reaction is analogous to the combustion of methane. It is isoelectronic with carbon dioxide. CS₂ is highly flammable:

Global production/consumption of carbon disulfide is approximately one million tonnes, with China consuming 49%, followed by India at 13%, mostly for the production of rayon fiber.USA production in 2007 was 56,000 tonnes.