Sulfur

Sulfur element periodic table

Sulfur is a chemical element with the symbol S and atomic number 16. It is a yellow, non-metal, tasteless, and odorless solid that is abundant in nature. Sulfur is found in many forms, including elemental sulfur, which is a yellow, crystalline solid, and sulfur dioxide, which is a colorless gas.

Sulfur has been known since ancient times, and is one of the few non-metals that can be found in its pure state in nature. This yellow-yellow crystalline element originates in large quantities near volcanic craters. Another name for sulfur is “brimstone“, which refers to the way its crystals burn, melting into a blood-red liquid. In some religions, sulfur is believed to be the fuel that burns in the underworld. Pure sulfur is extracted from subway deposits with hot water.

This element is a common ingredient in many minerals, such as cellestine.  or gypsum, which is the primary source of sulfur. Many sulfur compounds smell bad. For example, the rotten-egg smell of volcanic pools is due to hydrogen sulfide gas, H2S. Also, the gaseous substance emitted by chopped onions and the odor of the corpse flower contain sulfur compounds.

Sulfur has many applications: it is used as a hardener natural rubber for use in tires, to preserve dried fruits and to produce strong battery acids, etc. The element has antibacterial, fungicide and insecticide properties and is used in antibiotic medicine, such as penicillin. Sulfur is also employed in the production of sulfuric acid, which is one of the most widely used chemicals in the world.

Sulfur element periodic table

Electron configuration

The electron configuration of an element describes the arrangement of electrons in the atoms of that element, and be used to predict its chemical properties and reactivity.

In the electron configuration notation, the letters "s", "p", "d", and "f" represent the different types of atomic orbitals, and the superscripts indicate the number of electrons in each orbital. The orbitals are filled in a specific order, starting with the lowest energy orbital and working up.

electron configuration of element S

Emission spectra

Each element in the periodic table presents its own unique emission spectra, which is determined by the energy levels of its electrons. When an electron in an atom is excited to a higher energy level, it can de-excite by emitting a photon of light with an energy equal to the difference between the two levels. This results in a characteristic emission line in the spectra (which corresponds to specific wavelengths of light). These spectra are usefull to identify the elements present in a sample.

emmision spectra of element S

Symmary of properties (S)

Atomic weight [32.059, 32.076]
Discoverer (year) unknown (ancient)
Natural form non-metallic solid (orthorhombic)
Electron configuration [Ne] 3s2 3p4
M.p. (ºC) 113
B.p. (ºC) 445
Earth's crust abundance (ppm) 350
Isotope (abundance %) 32S (94.99), 33S (0.75), 34S (4.25), 36S (0.01)
Density (g/cm3) 2.07
vdW radius (pm) 180
Covalent radius (pm) 104
Electronegativity (Pauling) 2.58
Vaporisation enthalpy (Kj/mol) 45.00
Fusion enthalpy (kJ/mol) 1.72
Specific heat capacity (J/g·K) at 25ºC and 1 at 0.71
Thermal conductivity (W/cm·K) at 25 ºC and 1 at 0.003
Oxidation number +6, +4, -2
Electronic affinity (eV) 2.07710403 (32S); 2.0771043 (34S)
1st Ionization energy (eV) 10.3600

Definition of terms in the previous table

  • Atomic weight: The average mass of an element's atoms, typically given in atomic mass units (amu).
  • Natural form: The most stable and abundant form of an element that occurs naturally in the environment.
  • Electron configuration: The arrangement of electrons in an atom or molecule.
  • Melting point: The temperature at which a solid substance turns into a liquid.
  • Boiling point: The temperature at which a liquid substance turns into a gas.
  • Earth's crust abundance (ppm): The concentration of an element in the Earth's crust, typically given in parts per million (ppm).
  • Isotope (abundance %): A variant of an element that has the same number of protons in the nucleus, but a different number of neutrons. The abundance of an isotope is the percentage of the isotope in a sample of the element.
  • Density (g/cm3): The mass of a substance per unit volume.
  • vdW radius (pm): The radius of an atom or molecule as predicted by the van der Waals model, typically given in picometers (pm).
  • Covalent radius (pm): The distance from the center of an atom to the center of another atom with which it is bonded covalently, typically given in picometers (pm).
  • Electronegativity (Pauling): A measure of an atom's ability to attract electrons in a chemical bond, based on the Pauling scale.
  • Vaporisation enthalpy (kJ/mol): The amount of energy required to convert a substance from a liquid to a gas at a constant temperature.
  • Fusion enthalpy (kJ/mol): The amount of energy required to convert a substance from a solid to a liquid at a constant temperature.
  • Specific heat capacity (J/g·K) at 25ºC and 1 at: The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of a substance by 1 degree Celsius at a constant pressure.
  • Thermal conductivity (W/cm·K) at 25 ºC and 1 at: The ability of a substance to conduct heat, typically given in watts per centimeter per kelvin.
  • Oxidation number: A positive or negative integer that represents the number of electrons that an atom has gained or lost in a chemical compound.
  • Electronic affinity: The energy change associated with adding an electron to a neutral atom to form a negative ion.
  • 1st Ionization energy: The energy required to remove the most loosely bound electron from a neutral atom.
 

Back to the Periodic Table of the Elements.

Shares