The key difference between BPA and BPS is that BPA contains carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms whereas BPS contains carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and sulfur.
BPA stands for bisphenol A and BPS stands for bisphenol S. These are organic compounds we use as reactants in polymer reactions. Bisphenol A is also a starting material for the synthesis of plastic. Both these substances occur as colorless solid compounds.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is BPA
3. What is BPS
4. Side by Side Comparison – BPA vs BPS in Tabular Form
5. Summary
What is BPA?
BPA is bisphenol A. It is an organic compound and is a synthetic material. Also, the chemical formula of this compound is (CH3)2C(C6H4OH)2 and it is a diphenylmethane derivative. Moreover, it contains two hydroxyphenyl groups, which makes it fall into the category of bisphenols. It occurs as a colorless solid. Although it is poorly soluble in water, it is soluble in organic solvents. Furthermore, some other chemical facts about this compound are as follows:
- Molar mass is 228.291 g/mol
- Appears as a white solid
- Density is 1.20 g/cm3
- Melting point ranges from158 to 159 °C
- Boiling point is 220 °C
Figure 01: Production of BPA
BPA is the starting material for the production of plastic. Mainly, it is useful for the production of polycarbonates, epoxy resins, polysulfones, etc. Besides, this compound is produced using the condensation of acetone. Here, this reaction requires two equivalents of phenol and a strong acid as a catalyst.
What is BPS?
BPS is bisphenol S. It is a synthetic organic material. Also, its chemical formula is (HOC6H4)2SO2. Though there is a close relationship between BPA and BPS, they are different from each other depending on the chemical structure. That is; in the BPS, a sulfone group has replaced the dimethylmethylene group of BPA. Moreover, some of its other chemical facts are as follows:
- Molar mass is 250.27 g/mol
- Appears as a white/colorless solid
- Density is 1.366 g/cm3
- Melting point ranges from245 to 250 °C
- Forms needle-shaped crystals in water
Figure 02: BPS Production
BPS is useful as a component in curing fast-drying epoxy glues. Moreover, it is useful as a corrosion inhibitor. Apart from that, we use it as a reactant in polymer reactions, i.e. a common building block in polycarbonates and some epoxies. We can synthesize this compound by the reaction between sulfuric acid and phenol.
What is the Difference Between BPA and BPS?
BPA stands for bisphenol A while BPS is bisphenol S. The key difference between BPA and BPS is that BPA contains carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms whereas BPS contains carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and sulfur. Furthermore, another difference between BPA and BPS is that BPA contains dimethylmethylene group while BPS contains a sulfone group.
The following infographic presents the difference between BPA and BPS in more detail.
Summary – BPA vs BPS
Both BPA and BPS are types of bisphenol. BPA is bisphenol A while BPS is bisphenol S. The key difference between BPA and BPS is that BPA contains carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms whereas BPS contains carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and sulfur.
Reference:
1. “Bisphenol A.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 9 May 2019, Available here.
2. “Bisphenol S.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 17 Sept. 2018, Available here.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Synthesis Bisphenol A” By Roland Mattern – Roland1952 (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Bisphenol synthesis” By Roland Mattern – Roland1952 (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia