Sulfur

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Sulfur
General Info
Atomic Symbol	S
Atomic Number	16
Atomic Weight	32.065 g/mol32.065 amu
Chemical series	[[Nonmetals]]
Appearance	Lemon Yellow
Group, Period, Block	16, 3, p
Electron configuration	[ Ne ] 3s23p4
Electrons per shell	2, 8, 6
CAS number	[7704-34-9]
Physical properties
Phase
Density	g/cm3
Melting point	warning.png"" is not a number.
Boiling point	warning.png"" is not a number.
Isotopes of Sulfur
iso NA half-life DT DE (MeV) DP is stable with neutrons.
All properties are for STP unless otherwise stated.

Sulfur's symbol is S and its atomic number is sixteen. Sulfur is one of the elements that exist on the Earth the most. [1]Sulfur is a non-mental and multivalent element. A noteworthy property of sulfur is its pungent odor. Sulfur is found easily almost everywhere. Sulfur's use is necessary in many fields of today's industry, especially in the use of fertilizer.

Properties

A piece of sulfur melts to a blood-red liquid. When burned, it emits a blue flame.

Sulfur has such a particular odor, which is usually described as that of a rotten egg. The odor of a hydrogen sulfide is similar to faint that of a match. When it burns, it burns with a blue flame and releases sulfur dioxide, which has a particular suffocating odor. Another particular property of sulfur is its complex crystallography.[2] Depending on some specific conditions, sulfur’s allotropes form several distinct crystal structures, which are known as rhombic and monoclinic S₈. The viscosity of molten sulfur is, unlike those of other liquids, increases with temperature due to polymer chains. However, when it reaches to some specific temperature, its viscosity decreases because enough energy, which has the power to break the chains, is created. Through such a rapid cooling of molten sulfur, amorphous or plastic sulfur is produced. The research on sulfur’s crystallography using X-ray proved that sulfur’s amorphous form has a high possibility of having a spiral structure with eight atoms per turn. [3] An amorphous form of sulfur is metastable at room temperature and tends to transform into the form of crystalline. Such a process of transformation usually takes several hours or days, but in some cases, only takes several minutes. Sulfur is insoluble in water, but soluble in carbon disulfide and other organ solvents like benzene. The common oxidation states of sulfur include -2, +2, +4 and +6. Sulfur forms compounds with all elements except noble gas.[4]

Molecules

The structure of the S8 molecule, two atoms are obscured in this view.

At room temperature, sulfur exists in the form of a soft bright yellow solid. In the solid state, specifically, sulfur usually exists in the form of cyclic crown-shaped S₈ molecules. Besides S₈, sulfur has many other allotropes.[5]Through such a process of eliminating one atom from the crown, S₇, which has sulfur’s distinctive yellow color, is formed. There are also many other rings that contain S₁₂ and S₁₈. The heavier analogue of sulfur, selenium, forms rings as well as sulfur, but ordinarily is found in the form of a polymer chain. The lighter analogue of sulfur, oxygen, only exists in the two conditions of allotropic significance, which are O₂ and O₃.

Occurrences

Sulfur crystalites at Waiotapu hot springs, New Zealand

Near hot springs and volcanic regions are the places where most elemental sulfur is found. A great number of sulfur is found along the Pacific Ring of Fire, which contains hot springs and volcanic regions. Today, many volcanic deposits are found in Japan, Indonesia, and Chile. [6] Many other deposits of sulfur are also found along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico in the form of salt domes and in eastern Europe and western Asia in the form of evaporites. According to today's geologists, such deposits might have originated from the action of anaerobic bacteria on sulfate minerals. In many countries like U.S., Ukraine, Russia, Turkmenistan, and Poland, those deposits are widely used for commercial purpose. The metal sulfides like pyrite, which is iron sulfide, cinnabar, which is mercury sulfide, galena, which is lead sulfide, sphalerite, which is zinc sulfide, stibnite, which is antimony sulfide are categorized as common naturally occurring sulfur compounds. The metal sulfates like gypsum, which is calcium sulfate, alunite, which is potassium aluminium sulfate, and barite, which is barium sulfate are also categorized as common naturally occurring sulfur compounds. They are in common for occurring naturally in volcanic emissions, specifically from hydrothermal vents or bacterial action on decaying sulfur-containing organic matter.[7]

Uses

Four sulfur batteries

Today, sulfur plays an important role in many fields of industry. Especially, one of sulfur's derivative form sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄) is considered to be one of the most important raw materials.[8]The influence that sulfuric acid has in today's economy is greater than those of any other elements. Sulfur is used in the production of sulfuric acid the most, and the consumption of sulfuric acid takes a big part for the contribution of the industrial development of the U.S. The number of produced sulfuric acid in a year is greater than those of any other chemical elements in the U.S.. Another derivative form of sulfur, sulfite, is widely used when bleaching papers or keeping wine or dried fruit fresh. Sulfur is flammable and for this reason, is used in gunpowder, fireworks, and matches. Sulfur is also used in the vulcanization of rubber, fungicides, the manufacture of phosphate fertilizers, and batteries. In the form of sodium or ammonium thiosulfate, sulfur is used in photographic fixing agents.[9]

Isotopes

Main Article: Isotopes

There are eighteen isotopes of sulfur. Sulfur has the greatest number of isotopes compared to other elements. Among the eighteen isotopes, four of them are stable. With the exception of ³⁵S, all radioactive isotopes of sulfur have a short life time. One of derivative forms of sulfur, sulfate, in most forest ecosystems, is originated from atmosphere. [10] Among many regions that sulfate is found, Rocky Mountain lakes have the greatest number of sulfates. For the purpose of detecting pollution sources, sulfur with a distinctive isotopic composition is used widely. In hydrologic studies, abundant sulfur is used as a tracer.

Related References

• Sulfur Wikipedia
• Sulfur WebElements
• Sulfur Chemical Elements.com

See Also

• Periodic Table of Elements
• Elements
• Atoms
• Chemistry