K2S2O5
Potassium metabisulfite · Potassium pyrosulfite
Potassium metabisulfite is a white crystalline powder commonly used as a food preservative and antioxidant. It functions by releasing sulfur dioxide, which helps inhibit the growth of unwanted microorganisms and prevents oxidation in various products.
Key Properties
Cross-validated computational properties for Potassium metabisulfite, aggregated across 3 databases.
Band GapEnergy needed to move an electron from the valence band to the conduction band. Lower or zero values tend to behave more metallic; larger gaps are more insulating or semiconducting.
Energy Above HullThermodynamic distance from the most stable set of competing phases. 0 eV/atom is on the convex hull; small positive values may still be experimentally accessible.
StabilityA plain-language summary of the best reported energy-above-hull result. It reflects whether the lowest-energy structure is on, near, or far from the stability hull.
StructuresCount of reported calculated crystal structures for this formula, including alternate polymorphs, source databases, and observed space groups.
Reported Structures
Lowest-energy structures reported for K2S2O5, ranked by energy above hull.
| Space GroupSymmetry classification of the crystal arrangement. The number is the international space-group index. | Crystal SystemBroad lattice family, such as cubic, tetragonal, monoclinic, or triclinic, derived from unit-cell symmetry. | Band Gap (eV)Electronic gap calculated for this specific reported structure, measured in electronvolts. | E above hull (eV/atom)Thermodynamic distance from the convex hull for this structure, normalized per atom. Lower is generally more stable. | E/atom (eV)Computed total energy normalized per atom. Use energy above hull, not this value alone, when comparing stability. | Density (g/cm³)Mass per relaxed crystal volume, reported in grams per cubic centimeter. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P21/m (No. 11) | monoclinic | 3.19 | 0.0753 | -5.896 | 2.18 |
| P21/m (No. 11) | monoclinic | 3.25 | 0.1326 | -5.839 | 1.94 |
| P21/m (No. 11) | — | — | — | — | — |
| P21/m (No. 11) | Monoclinic | — | — | — | 2.18 |
| P21/m (No. 11) | Monoclinic | — | — | — | 2.30 |
| P21/m (No. 11) | Monoclinic | — | — | — | 2.21 |
| P21/m (No. 11) | Monoclinic | — | — | — | 1.94 |
| P21/m (No. 11) | Monoclinic | — | — | — | 2.04 |
| P21/m (No. 11) | Monoclinic | — | — | — | 1.97 |
Applications
Where Potassium metabisulfite is used.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Potassium metabisulfite, answered from cross-validated data.
What is K2S2O5?
Potassium metabisulfite is a white crystalline powder commonly used as a food preservative and antioxidant. It functions by releasing sulfur dioxide, which helps inhibit the growth of unwanted microorganisms and prevents oxidation in various products.
What is K2S2O5 used for?
What is the band gap of K2S2O5?
Is K2S2O5 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
Is K2S2O5 thermodynamically stable?
What is the crystal structure of K2S2O5?
What is the density of K2S2O5?
How many polymorphs of K2S2O5 are known?
What elements does K2S2O5 contain?
Where does the data for K2S2O5 come from?
Data sources & attribution
- materials_project — Data from the Materials Project. Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013).
- jarvis — Data from JARVIS (NIST). Cite: Choudhary et al., npj Comp. Mater. 6, 173 (2020).
- mpaloe — Data from mpaloe.
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