How Is Sodium Sulfide Made?

Sodium sulfide is typically made through the reaction of sodium hydroxide with sulfur. The first step involves dissolving sodium hydroxide in water to produce a solution. Sulfur is then added to the solution, and the mixture is heated under stirring to promote the reaction between the sodium hydroxide and sulfur.

The equation for this reaction is:

NaOH + S → Na2S + H2O

Once the reaction is complete, the mixture is cooled and filtered to remove any unreacted sulfur. The resulting solution of sodium sulfide can be further purified through crystallization or evaporation.

It's worth noting that there are alternative methods for producing sodium sulfide, such as by reacting sodium carbonate with sulfur at high temperatures, or by reducing sodium sulfate with carbon. However, the method described above using sodium hydroxide and sulfur is the most commonly employed in industry.