Sulfur is a yellow, odorless element found near volcanic regions and hot springs. It has many industrial and biological uses, and exists in different forms depending on temperature. Sulfur combines with other compounds to form minerals, and is required for all living cells. It is used in rubber vulcanization, as a fungicide, and in the manufacture of gunpowder and sulfuric acid. Sulfur has physical properties such as atomic weight, melting and boiling points, and chemical properties including oxidation states.
The properties of sulfur are that it is a yellow, odorless and very common chemical element near volcanic regions and hot springs. Sulfur-containing compounds are of great importance in industry and biology. Sulfur has been known as brimstone since ancient times. A common alternative spelling is “sulphur.”
Solid sulfur predominates as an eight-atom ring, but other rings with fewer atoms are also found. When burned, sulfur exhibits a blue flame which releases sulfur dioxide, SO2. This compound can combine with water in a person’s mucous membranes to form dilute sulfurous acid, H2SO3, which acts as a weak acid.
The odor commonly associated with sulfur is not due to elemental sulfur, but to other sulfur compounds that have formed. For example, hydrogen sulfide, H2S, is a poisonous gas that smells like rotten eggs. Small amounts of it are formed as the moisture in the air causes the sulfur to oxidize. One of its sources is sewage and it occasionally proves fatal to workers in the sewage trenches. The sulfur dioxide formed from burning sulfur smells like burnt matches.
Sulfur exhibits a phenomenon known as allotropism, which means that it can exist in different forms. It has crystals of different types depending on the temperature. The most common forms are known as rhombic and monoclinic. Above 356° F (96° C), the monoclinic form is stable and below that temperature the rhombic form is the stable form.
The properties of sulfur, in its molten form, are unusual in that it is similar to a syrupy liquid at higher temperatures. Generally, compounds become pure liquids at high temperatures. At 593°F (160°C), the eight atomic rings open and join together. They form chains of variable length, ranging from eight to several thousand atoms. If liquid sulfur is poured into water quickly, it forms polymers known as plastic or amorphous sulfur, which can last for several days.
One property of sulfur is its tendency to combine with other compounds and form minerals. It is frequently found as sulfate and sulfide minerals. An example is iron sulfide or pyrite, FeS2, more commonly known as “fool’s gold”. The commonly used industrial and medicinal compound Epsom salts, MgSO4.7H2O, is another example.
Sulfur is very important in biology and is required for all living cells. Many of the amino acids that make up proteins contain sulfur as part of their structure. One such amino acid is cysteine and it can form bonds of two sulfur groups which give great strength to proteins. This is called a disulfide bond.
Commercial processes that employ sulfur generally use sulfur combined with other compounds, although rubber vulcanization is a process that employs elemental sulfur. Sulfur is also used as a fungicide and in the manufacture of gunpowder. Sulfuric acid, H2SO4, is a highly produced industrial chemical all over the world. It is used in the production of phosphate fertilizers, in oil refineries and in mineral extraction.
The physical properties of sulfur are that it is atomic number 16 and has an atomic weight of 32.06. It has a melting point of 235°F (113°C) and a boiling point of 832°F (444°C). Its density is 2.067 grams per cubic centimeter. There are four stable isotopes found naturally. None of them are radioactive, but the radioactive isotope 35S is used experimentally.
The chemical properties of sulfur include the common oxidation states of 6, 4, 2 and -2. Compounds such as sulfuric acid, which have an oxidation state of 6, are oxidizing agents. Other compounds with oxidation states of -2, such as hydrogen sulfide, act only as reducing agents. Elemental sulfur is not soluble in water, but can be dissolved in carbon disulfide.
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