Sulfur

Sulfur, ₁₆S

Sulfur
Alternative name	sulphur (British spelling)
Allotropes	see Allotropes of sulfur
Appearance	lemon yellow sintered microcrystals
Standard atomic weight Ar°(S)
	[32.059, 32.076]
Sulfur in the periodic table
Hydrogen Helium Lithium Beryllium Boron Carbon Nitrogen Oxygen Fluorine Neon Sodium Magnesium Aluminium Silicon Phosphorus Sulfur Chlorine Argon Potassium Calcium Scandium Titanium Vanadium Chromium Manganese Iron Cobalt Nickel Copper Zinc Gallium Germanium Arsenic Selenium Bromine Krypton Rubidium Strontium Yttrium Zirconium Niobium Molybdenum Technetium Ruthenium Rhodium Palladium Silver Cadmium Indium Tin Antimony Tellurium Iodine Xenon Caesium Barium Lanthanum Cerium Praseodymium Neodymium Promethium Samarium Europium Gadolinium Terbium Dysprosium Holmium Erbium Thulium Ytterbium Lutetium Hafnium Tantalum Tungsten Rhenium Osmium Iridium Platinum Gold Mercury (element) Thallium Lead Bismuth Polonium Astatine Radon Francium Radium Actinium Thorium Protactinium Uranium Neptunium Plutonium Americium Curium Berkelium Californium Einsteinium Fermium Mendelevium Nobelium Lawrencium Rutherfordium Dubnium Seaborgium Bohrium Hassium Meitnerium Darmstadtium Roentgenium Copernicium Nihonium Flerovium Moscovium Livermorium Tennessine Oganesson O ↑ S ↓ Se phosphorus ← sulfur → chlorine
Atomic number (Z)	16
Group	group 16 (chalcogens)
Period	period 3
Block	p-block
Electron configuration	[Ne] 3s2 3p4
Electrons per shell	2, 8, 6
Physical properties
Phase at STP	solid
Melting point	388.36 K ​(115.21 °C, ​239.38 °F)
Boiling point	717.8 K ​(444.6 °C, ​832.3 °F)
Density (near r.t.)	alpha: 2.07 g/cm3 beta: 1.96 g/cm3 gamma: 1.92 g/cm3
when liquid (at m.p.)	1.819 g/cm3
Critical point	1314 K, 20.7 MPa
Heat of fusion	mono: 1.727 kJ/mol
Heat of vaporization	mono: 45 kJ/mol
Molar heat capacity	22.75 J/(mol·K)
Vapor pressure P (Pa) 1 10 100 1 k 10 k 100 k at T (K) 375 408 449 508 591 717
Atomic properties
Oxidation states	−2, −1, 0, +1, +2, +3, +4, +5, +6 (a strongly acidic oxide)
Electronegativity	Pauling scale: 2.58
Ionization energies	1st: 999.6 kJ/mol 2nd: 2252 kJ/mol 3rd: 3357 kJ/mol (more)
Covalent radius	105±3 pm
Van der Waals radius	180 pm
Spectral lines of sulfur
Other properties
Natural occurrence	primordial
Crystal structure	​orthorhombic
Thermal conductivity	0.205 W/(m⋅K) (amorphous)
Electrical resistivity	2×1015  Ω⋅m (at 20 °C) (amorphous)
Magnetic ordering	diamagnetic
Molar magnetic susceptibility	(α) −15.5×10−6 cm3/mol (298 K)
Bulk modulus	7.7 GPa
Mohs hardness	2.0
CAS Number	7704-34-9
History
Discovery	before 2000 BCE
Recognized as an element by	Antoine Lavoisier (1777)
Isotopes of sulfur v e
Main isotopes Decay abun­dance half-life (t1/2) mode pro­duct 32S 94.8% stable 33S 0.760% stable 34S 4.37% stable 35S trace 87.37 d β− 35Cl 36S 0.02% stable 34S abundances vary greatly (between 3.96 and 4.77 percent) in natural samples.
Category: Sulfur view talk edit | references

Sulfur (American English) or sulphur (British English) is a chemical element. The symbol for sulfur is S, and its atomic number is 16. Old English name, appearing in the Bible, is brimstone.

Properties

Sulfur is a yellow solid that is a nonmetal. It is fragile (easily broken) and crystalline. It burns easily, releasing toxic fumes of sulfur dioxide. It has a very faint odor. If it is melted and cooled very quickly, it makes a rubbery form of sulfur that is called "plastic sulfur". It gradually turns back into the yellow brittle form. It does not dissolve in water. The smell normally known as "sulfur" comes from hydrogen sulfide and similar chemicals. These sulfides are produced when things decay without air.

Chemical compounds

Sulfur compounds are chemical compounds containing sulfur ions. Sulfur comes in several forms: oxidation states of -2 (hydrogen sulfide), +4 (sulfur dioxide, sulfites) and +6 (sulfuric acid, sulfates) are most common, although there are other oxidation states.

Sulfur oxides

See also: Sulfur oxide

• Sulfur dioxide, colorless toxic heavy gas, used to preserve dried foods
• Sulfur trioxide, various forms, sometimes liquid, irritating and toxic
• Oleum, sulfur trioxide dissolved in sulfuric acid

Sulfur acids

Mixture of sulfur oxides and water

• Sulfurous acid, unstable, weak
• Sulfuric acid, stable, strong acid, most used chemical after water
• Hydrogen sulfate, an ion produced when sulfuric acid only loses one acidic proton
• Hydrogen sulfide, weak smelly gas, becomes acidic when dissolved in water

Sulfides

See also: Sulfide

Salts of hydrogen sulfide

• Ammonium sulfide, used in stink bombs
• Antimony trisulfide, used in match heads
• Arsenic trisulfide, less toxic arsenic compound
• Barium sulfide, used to make barium from barium sulfate
• Bismuth(III) sulfide, bismuth ore
• Iron sulfide, found as pyrite naturally
• Lead(II) sulfide, found as galena naturally
• Selenium disulfide, used in hair treatment creams
• Potassium sulfide, reacts with water
• Silver sulfide, tarnish on silver objects
• Thallium(I) sulfide, infrared detector
• Tin(II) sulfide, dark brown solid
• Tin(IV) sulfide, gold solid, "mosaic gold"
• Zinc sulfide, used in fluorescent bulbs

Sulfites

See also: Sulfite

Salts of sulfurous acid

• Sodium sulfite, used to preserve dried foods
• Potassium sulfite, used to preserve foods

Sulfates and bisulfates

See also: Sulfate and bisulfate

Salts of sulfuric acid

• Alums, all of them
• Aluminium sulfate
• Ammonium sulfate, used in fertilizers
• Barium sulfate, used to take X-rays of digestive system
• Cobalt(II) sulfate, used in pigments
• Copper(II) sulfate, used to kill algae
• Chromium sulfate, used to make chrome alum
• Iron(II) sulfate, used for reduction
• Iron(III) sulfate, rare
• Lead(II) sulfate, white solid in lead acid batteries
• Manganese(II) sulfate, used to add manganese to soil
• Nickel(II) sulfate, used to make nickel compounds
• Sodium bisulfate, used in lowering pH
• Sodium sulfate, used in detergents and paper making
• Thallium(I) sulfate, colorless odorless tasteless highly toxic
• Tin(II) sulfate, used to make other tin compounds
• Zinc sulfate, used in pigments

Other sulfur compounds

Sulfur(I) compounds

• Sulfur(I) chloride, yellow liquid

Sulfur(II) compounds

• Sulfur(II) chloride, red odorous liquid

Sulfur(III) compounds

• Disulfur dinitride, colorless solid
• Tetrasulfur tetranitride, orange solid

Sulfur(IV) compounds

• Sulfur tetrafluoride, colorless toxic gas

Sulfur(V) compounds

• Disulfur decafluoride, colorless toxic liquid

Sulfur(VI) compounds

• Sulfur hexafluoride, colorless heavy gas

Occurrence and preparation

Sulfur can be found in the earth near volcanoes. Many minerals contain sulfur ions. Coal contains sulfur ions which are released when it burns. Hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide are some sulfur compounds that are released when coal burns. They are reacted to make sulfur. Sulfur in the ground in melted, then forced up through pipes by compressed (squeezed) air.

Uses

Sulfur is commonly used in gunpowder, medicine, and matches. Matches release sulfur dioxide when they burn, giving them their smell. Sulfur is an essential component to living cells. Many proteins contain sulfur. It is also used as a pesticide on organic farms.

Etymology

Powder sulfur is said to be left after an occurrence of a supernatural being.

Toxicity and safety

Sulfur is not toxic, but the chemical compounds formed when sulfur burns can be very toxic. Sulfuric acid, for example, can make paper turn black.

History

The ancient name for sulfur is brimstone. Sulfur was used in fumigation (making fumes) and medicine in ancient Greece. In 1777, Antoine Lavosier convinced the scientific community that sulfur was an element.

In July 2024, NASA's Curiosity rover found pure sulfur on the planet Mars.

The Simple English Wiktionary has a definition for: sulfur.

Related pages

• Periodic table
• List of common elements
• Sulfur compounds

References

Other websites

• WebElements.com – Sulfur Archived 2008-05-16 at the Wayback Machine
• EnvironmentalChemistry.com – Sulfur