Multibubble sonolysis and sonoluminescence in molten elementary sulfur and sulfur—styrene mixture

Abstract

The effect of saturation with argon, as well as styrene and iodine additives on the temperature dependence of multibubble sonoluminescence intensity in molten sulfur at 120–230 °C was studied. The shape of the temperature dependence with a maximum at 170–200 °C is determined by the viscosity variations related to the changes in the molecular structure of molten elemental sulfur. At high temperatures, cyclooctasulfane (S8) molecules break to radical products, which then undergo polymerization that can be slowed down by the additives. Sulfurization of styrene during sonolysis of a sulfur—styrene mixture resulting in products of the thiophene series was detected. Unlike thermal sulfurization that affords 2,5-diphenylthiophene as a major product, sonochemical sulfurization results mainly in 2,4-diphenylthiophene. The mechanism of 2,4-diphenylthiophene formation initiated by the reaction of styrene molecules with S+ ions produced upon fragmentation of S8 within cavitation bubbles is proposed. The glow of electronically excited S+* ions is responsible for the band with a maximum at 560 nm in the sonoluminescence spectrum of molten sulfur, which is suppressed by the styrene additive.