Iron sulfide
Encyclopedia
Iron sulfide or Iron sulphide refers to a chemical compound of iron
and sulfur
with a wide range of stoechiometric formulae and different crystalline structures.
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
and sulfur
Sulfur
Sulfur or sulphur is the chemical element with atomic number 16. In the periodic table it is represented by the symbol S. It is an abundant, multivalent non-metal. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with chemical formula S8. Elemental sulfur is a bright yellow...
with a wide range of stoechiometric formulae and different crystalline structures.
Natural minerals
By increasing order of stability:- Iron(II) sulfideIron(II) sulfideIron sulfide or ferrous sulfide is a chemical compound with the formula . In practice, iron sulfides are often non-stoichiometric. Powdered iron sulfide is pyrophoric Iron(II) sulfide or ferrous sulfide (Br.E. sulphide) is a chemical compound with the formula . In practice, iron sulfides are...
, FeS, the less stable amorphous form; - TroiliteTroiliteTroilite is a rare iron sulfide mineral with the simple formula of FeS. It is the iron rich endmember of the pyrrhotite group. Pyrrhotite has the formula FeS which is iron deficient...
, FeS, the end member of pyrrhotitePyrrhotitePyrrhotite is an unusual iron sulfide mineral with a variable iron content: FeS . The FeS endmember is known as troilite. Pyrrhotite is also called magnetic pyrite because the color is similar to pyrite and it is weakly magnetic...
; - GreigiteGreigiteGreigite is an iron sulfide mineral with formula Fe3S4. It is the sulfur equivalent of the iron oxide magnetite . It was first described in 1964 for an occurrence in San Bernardino County, California, and named after the mineralogist and physical chemist Joseph W...
, Fe3S4, analog to magnetiteMagnetiteMagnetite is a ferrimagnetic mineral with chemical formula Fe3O4, one of several iron oxides and a member of the spinel group. The chemical IUPAC name is iron oxide and the common chemical name is ferrous-ferric oxide. The formula for magnetite may also be written as FeO·Fe2O3, which is one part...
, Fe3O4; - PyrrhotitePyrrhotitePyrrhotite is an unusual iron sulfide mineral with a variable iron content: FeS . The FeS endmember is known as troilite. Pyrrhotite is also called magnetic pyrite because the color is similar to pyrite and it is weakly magnetic...
, Fe1-xS (where x = 0 to 0.2), or Fe7S8; - MackinawiteMackinawiteMackinawite is an iron nickel sulfide mineral with formula 1 + xS . It crystallizes in the tetragonal crystal system and occurs as opaque bronze to grey-white tabular crystals and anhedral masses. It has a Mohs hardness of 2.5 and a specific gravity of 4.17.-Occurrence:It occurs in serpentinized...
, Fe1+xS (where x = 0 to 0.1); - MarcasiteMarcasiteThe mineral marcasite, sometimes called white iron pyrite, is iron sulfide with orthorhombic crystal structure. It is physically and crystallographically distinct from pyrite, which is iron sulfide with cubic crystal structure. Both structures do have in common that they contain the disulfide...
, or iron(II) disulfide, FeS2 (orthorhombic); - PyritePyriteThe mineral pyrite, or iron pyrite, is an iron sulfide with the formula FeS2. This mineral's metallic luster and pale-to-normal, brass-yellow hue have earned it the nickname fool's gold because of its resemblance to gold...
, or iron(II) disulfide, FeS2 (cubic), the more stable end member.
Artificial product
- Iron(III) sulfideIron(III) sulfideIron sulfide, also known as ferric sulfide or sesquisulfide, is one of the three iron sulfides besides FeS and FeS2. It is a solid, black powder but decays at ambient temperature into a yellow-green powder....
, Fe2S3, a quite unstable artificial product synthesised at –20 °C and not identified in nature.