Evidence for H2S gas as an intermediate species in the reaction mechanism of trapping hydrogen by cobalt disulfide

Cobalt sulfide prepared by aqueous precipitation using Na2S and a Co(II) salt is known to trap hydrogen at room temperature and low pressure. The importance of oxidation of the primary CoS precipitate with atmospheric oxygen with respect to its efficiency as a hydrogen absorber is demonstrated. This stage of oxidation produces a mixture of two solid phases: a partially crystallized cobalt hydroxide Co(OH)2 and an amorphous cobalt sulfide CoS2 with a Co(OH)2/CoS2 molar ratio of 1 as predicted by thermodynamics. This biphasic product is probably the basic cobalt sulfide CoSOH considered in older and even more recent work. This product traps molecular hydrogen with a H2/Co molar ratio of 0.5 w…