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An iron-sulfur compound (Fe3S2) was synthesized at pressures greater than 14 gigapascals in the system Fe-FeS. The formation of Fe3S2 changed the melting relations from a simple binary eutectic system to a binary system with an intermediate compound that melted incongruently. The eutectic temperature in the system at 14 gigapascals was about 400°C lower than that extrapolated from Usselman's data, implying that previous thermal models of Fe-rich planetary cores could overestimate core temperature. If it is found in a meteorite, the Fe3S2 phase could also be used to infer the minimum size of a parent body.

In situ x-ray diffraction measurements revealed that FeS, a possible core material for the terrestrial planets, transforms to a hexagonal NiAs superstructure with axial ratio (c/a) close to the ideal close-packing value of 1.63 at high pressure and high temperature. The high-pressure-temperature phase has shorter Fe-Fe distances than the low-pressure phase. Significant shortening of the Fe-Fe distance would lead to metallization of FeS, resulting in fundamental changes in physical properties of FeS at high pressure and temperature. Calculations using the density of the high-pressure-temperature FeS phase indicate that the martian core-mantle boundary occurs within the silicate perovskite stability field.