Synthesizing Sulfur Dichloride: A Noxious Liquid That You DON'T WANT | Thionyl Chloride (Part 1)

Sulfur chlorides are both beautifully fascinating and horrendously vile. Today, we'll be synthesizing sulfur dichloride: a cherry-red liquid that is now my least favorite chemical to work with. Not only does it reek like death, but it also coats everything it touches in a layer of sulfur that is nearly impossible to remove without the help of caustic chemicals. It is also corrosive to flesh, and it emits a host of toxic/corrosive gases when exposed to air and moisture. Seriously: unless you need this compound, you REALLY don't want it around!
Check out ‪@THYZOID‬ here:
/ @thyzoid
In the future, you'll hopefully see a collaborative video or two from us based around the synthesis and use of thionyl chloride (which hopefully is more reactive and less pungent than disgusting sulfur dichloride).

[@jamo6146]

Thank you, now I can make mustard gas to prank my friends!

[@LabCoatz_Science]

But of course, happy pranking! Just make sure to not cover more than half of your friends' bodies, otherwise they might die and ruin the prank. In all seriousness, this compound is a precursor to mustard gas, and while I'd love to try the synthesis for experience-sake, I know I'd never be able to publish a video on it (without getting the FBI involved).

[@andyboi8399]

​@@LabCoatz_ScienceSo, to my knowledge, mustard gas (Yperite) is (obviously) illegal because it's a chemical weapon, therefore prohibited by the Chemical Weapons Convention of 1993. Well.... The Convention outright bans all production, use, storage of chemical weapons, BUT, on the very first page it also states their definition of a 'Chemical weapon'. And the definition they give is something along the lines of 'a toxic chemical compound intended to cause harm [...] *stored/deployed in a delivery method (that is to say a rocket, missile, artillery shell or bomb etc. )*. Going by their own logic, this means you can make Yperite and as long as you don't put it in a bomb or rocket or shell, it's not a chemical weapon, therefore the bans instated by the convention do not apply! Eh? Eh? Who needs a lawyer? I'll fistfight the entire UN if I have to

[@gutbucket6184]

Do it for the vine

[@christopherleubner6633]

The material can be made catalyticlly using activated charcoal at a bit less temerature. You will get a little CCl4 as a side product but the basic reaction is you get CS2 as an intermediate that transforms to C and S2Cl2 in excess chlorine. 🤓

[@charleschidsey2831]

Love your olfactory similitudes.

[@LabCoatz_Science]

Gotta keep it relatable, right? Everyone knows what candied farts smell like, lol.

[@nootropica3418]

Nicely done! I’m still working on the PCl5 prep for this

[@nootropica3418]

By the way what’s your discord name again? Ive got too many contacts and can’t find you there

[@LabCoatz_Science]

Nice! I need to get around to making the sulfur trioxide. I'm hoping to do the nitrogen dioxide/sulfur dioxide reaction, but if that fails, I'll be stuck waiting for my sponsor to send me some P2O5. My Discord is just my name (Zach Armstrong); I'll send you a message.

[@viktorugrinoski3670]

👏👏well done, i really like your videos. especially the tesla coil once.Keep on filming. And can you make a video about voltage multiplayer (capacitors and diodes)

[@LabCoatz_Science]

Maybe. If I do, it'll have to be a really big one, since this device has been covered before already by many other people, and there's not much for me to explain.

[@midwestchem368]

Great video! I really hope to see yall do that collab video! Would you say the smell is much worse than organic amines or pyridine?

[@LabCoatz_Science]

Not sure...I'd have to smell them first! It might come down to preference somewhat: if you HATE sulfurous, fecal smells, then sulfur dichloride is probably worst. However, if fishy, rotten-flesh smells are worse to you, organic amines and the like will likely be the worst.

[@bocian0]

yooo another coLAB with another great youtuber

[@LabCoatz_Science]

I do like my collabs 😏

[@antejl7925]

Great channel and you the have the loveliest U.S. accent.

[@vantablack9882]

on reaction with sodium acetate it can produce acetic anhydride , but no one on youtube tried this reaction

[@LabCoatz_Science]

Interesting, I'll have to look into that! I honestly have no other decent use for it, lol (until I get some sulfur trioxide made react with it to get thionyl chloride).

[@vantablack9882]

@@LabCoatz_Science there are some pages on sciencemadness in acetic anhydride thread , and another variant directly with bromine

[@awli8861]

Don't lie to me! You want to make mustard gas, don't you? XD

[@Tommybean7]

Noooo, I wanted you to react it with ethylene! 👍

I've already synthesized sulfur monochloride. The smell is really terrible. "Crystallized fart + burnt tire + HCl" really was the best definition I've ever come up with to describe the smell (although I noticed a hint of camphor as well). I couldn't make the dichloride, so I don't know what exactly it smells like, if there's any difference between the two chlorides. 

[@LabCoatz_Science]

The difference in smell is minimal, although pure SCl2 can have an added chlorine note, since it slowly decomposes back into chlorine and sulfur monochloride. And I agree: the smell is awful. I've smelled thioacetone and several selenium-based super-odorants, and I can tell you that sulfur chlorides are still my least favorite in terms of smell.

[@stephshighvoltagelab]

haha，i hate work with sulfur compound too！

[@dexterconnolly3696]

Dam that was interesting.

[@veritavitalis4159]

Great channel brother, 🤙🏽subbed!! 🙏🏽

[@d.d.2673]

I was trying to made that but when i put to the botle it instantly solidified to yellow o.O Dunno what happened but it was dark cherry.

[@GREATLORDPOOH]

Duck yeah you did

[@doctorpurple5173]

I've made this stuff before without any actual chemistry equipment, it was fucking awful and I don't recommend doing that

[@chanheosican6636]

Hmm you know TCCA and sulfur can make SCl2 as well I learned that by seeing a youtube video.

[@Refertech101]

Sulfur clean up you use heated Xylene, or Tuelene

[@LabCoatz_Science]

I would've, but I didn't have any at the time, so I just used plain old NaOH solution. In my most recent video using sulfur chlorides, I just soaked everything in an alkaline bleach solution with a little potassium permanganate to destroy the residual organosulfur compounds that tend to leave a lasting stink.

[@eleriummoscovide4283]

So you said you made in this video few times Silver diOxide and Silver diChloride, hmmm! Anyway, For all the pseudo chemists here, it is very important for you to know that if you use rubber stopper on your flask, it will be deformed in few hours within and outside. Sulfur diChloride changes soft rubber into hard one and it also expends it to the point of breaking the flask due to its constantly increasing volume. I wasn't even home when that happened. My dad told me that when he opened the door, he saw the entire room filled with white smoke! So the only way to cook this molecule is with glass stopper and keep it far away from rubber! Fuming Nitric acid decomposes rubber as well and after few seconds of its vapor, you could see a black liquid dropping, so again distillation is done with glass stopper.

[@vantablack9882]

how do you think , can this reagent give acetic anhydride from sodium acetate? It seems to be the easiest eay to make it .

[@chemistryofquestionablequa6252]

​@@vantablack9882 yep, it can

[@herrbrahms]

Candied farts mixed with burned rubber and HCl? So in other words, it smells like when Huell carpools with Jesse and Walt.

[@jhyland87]

Idk about putting "Thionyl Chloride" right there in the title.. lol.

[@LabCoatz_Science]

I'm hoping it'll be fine as long as I don't accidentally make nerve gas, lol. Turns out sulfur dichloride is used to make mustard gas (by its reaction with ethylene), so it's pretty much all sketchy chem at this point anyway, haha!

[@yahyae3416]

4:44 ch3oh+2scl2+h2o->hcooh+s+4hcl

[@israelburkett1381]

Wash with hot toluene

[@LabCoatz_Science]

I didn't have any, and it's kinda hard to find around here. Fortunately, hot sodium hydroxide solution also dissolves sulfur fairly well (albeit somewhat slower).

[@israelburkett1381]

@@LabCoatz_Science have you thought about reductive dechlorination of paradichlorobenzene?

[@LabCoatz_Science]

@@israelburkett1381 Might be a fun idea...I have seen that stuff sold nearly pure as moth balls. Might be an easy way to get benzene, assuming the reduction is straightforward. I recently tried a similar reduction process with chloroform to get dichloromethane, but it was a total failure as far as I can tell, lol.

[@israelburkett1381]

@@LabCoatz_Science in a nitrogen atmosphere wash some iron fillings with sulfuric acid and rinse with distilled or deionized water use a solution of potassium hexachloropalladate to precipitate palladium onto the iron. Wash with more water leaving it wet. A solution of pdcb in methanol can be reduced with the catalyst

[@LabCoatz_Science]

@@israelburkett1381 Fascinating, I'll have to consider if I ever get my hands on some palladium!

[@NormReitzel]

Burning tire sulfur stink with an admixture of sour vomit.

[@LabCoatz_Science]

Something like that. Thioacetone has nothing on this stuff, imo!