P2926

Potassium tetrathionate

• Synonym(s): Tetrathionic acid dipotassium salt
• Linear Formula: KOSO₂SSSO₃K
• CAS Number: 13932-13-3
• Molecular Weight: 302.45
• EC Number: 237-702-3
• MDL number: MFCD00079233
• UNSPSC Code: 12352302
• PubChem Substance ID: 57654515
• NACRES: NA.23

Properties

• assay: ≥98.0% (titration)
• form: powder
• density: 2.96 g/mL at 25 °C (lit.)
• storage temp.: 2-8°C
• SMILES string: [K+].[K+].[O-]S(=O)(=O)SSS([O-])(=O)=O
• InChI: 1S/2K.H2O6S4/c;;1-9(2,3)7-8-10(4,5)6/h;;(H,1,2,3)(H,4,5,6)/q2*+1;/p-2
• InChI key: UVTKHPSJNFFIDG-UHFFFAOYSA-L

Description

General description

Potassium tetrathionate is a potassium salt of tetrathionic acid. Potassium tetrathionate is typically found as a white or off-white crystalline solid. It is soluble in water. We offer it for research purpose with a purity of ≥ 98 %. It is a sulfuric acid dimerformed by a disulfide linkage. It is widely used in the field of microbiology as aningredient for tetrathionate broth.

Application

Potassium tetrathionate, K₂S₄O₆​, is widely used in research and development (R&D), especially in the field of chemistry and biology. Some of the notable uses of it are : It acts as an oxidizing agent during chemical reactions. It readily reduces to thiosulfate which makes it a useful reducing agent in a wide range of oxidation-reduction systems. It can be used as a reagent in analytical methods in the determination of few compounds. For example: the iodometric determination of traces of iodine in solution. In Material Science it may be applied to the synthesis of sulfur containing material, or in the corrosion studies of metals by the sulfur compounds. In one of the studies, it has been used to test stress corrosion cracking of thermo-mechanically processed microstructures. It has been used as a precursor for electroless gold plating solution which is used in printed circuit boards (PCBs) to prevent Nickel corrosion. Catalysis: Due to its incorporation in redox processes, it could be employed for catalytical or co-catalytical purposes in some chemical reactions. Environmental Studies- It finds utility in environmental studies, for example in quantification of sulfur compounds in soil, water, and air samples. In biology, potassium tetrathionate may be used as a reagent in studies of sulfur metabolism in microorganisms. It has been used in studies concerning microbial sulfur oxidation pathways. It finds applications in textile industry as bleaching agent. Potassium tetrathionate (K₂S₄O₆) can be used as an energy source for the batch culture of Acidithiobacillus caldus. K₂S₄O₆ can be used as an additive (pit prevent agent) to prepare an electrolyte composition for electroplating of Cu-Sn alloy. It can also be used to study the adsorption competition of lead and sulfur on nickel in acidic aqueous media. K₂S₄O₆ is preferred over other sulfur species as it is an acid-stable source of S and does not produce a large quantity of H2S.

Safety Information

• Storage Class: 11 - Combustible Solids
• wgk_germany: WGK 1
• flash_point_f: Not applicable
• flash_point_c: Not applicable
• ppe: dust mask type N95 (US), Eyeshields, Gloves