Carbonyl Sulfide
Carbonyl Sulfide
COS, a higly flammable, colorless, odorless gas that liquifies at – 50.2°C and freezes at – 138.2°C. Carbonyl sulfide is readily soluble in carbon disulfide, toluene, and alcohol but somewhat less soluble in water. It is gradually decomposed by water to form CO2 and H2S. In the absence of moisture, carbonyl sulfide is stable. Upon heating it decomposes:
2COS = CO2 + CS2 and 2COS = 2CO + 2S
Carbonyl sulfide is obtained by passing a mixture of sulfur vapor and carbon monoxide through a heated tube:
S + CO = COS
It is obtained in pure form by the action of acids on ammonium thiocarbamate, CO(NH2)(SNH4). Carbonyl sulfide is used in the industrial production of urea.