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Sulfur (S)
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Sulfur 16S32.066
Known to ancient civilizations.
[Sanskrit, sulvere = sulfur; Latin sulphurium]
French: soufre
German: Schwefel
Italian: solfo
Spanish: azufre
Description: There are several forms of sulfur, of which the yellow orthorombic (S8) is the most common. Sulfur is stable to air and water, but burns if heated. It is attacked by oxidising acids. It is a key industrial chemical and is the starting point of sulfuric acid.
Further Materials properties
| Crystal structure: |
(cell dimensions/pm), space group, In addition to the above ring forms there are also S7, S9-12, S18 and S20 rings. |
|---|---|
| X-ray diffractions mass absorption coefficients: | CuKa 89.1 (µ/r) / cm2g-1 MoKa 9.55 (µ/r) / cm2g-1 |
| Neutron scattering length: | 0.2847 b/10-12 cm |
| Thermal neutron capture cross-section: | 0.53 sa / barns |
| Density: | 2070 (α), 1957 (β) kg/m-3 [293 K]; 1819 [liquid at 393 K] |
| Melting point: | 112.85 (α)°C; 119.05 (β)°C; 106.85 (γ)°C / 386.0 (α)°K; 392.2 (β)°K; 380.0 (γ)°K |
| Boiling point: | 444.674°C / 717.824°K |
| Molar volume: | 15.49 cm3 |
| Thermal conductivity: | 0.269 (α) [300 K] W m-1K-1 |
| Coefficient of linear thermal expansion: | 74.33 x 10-6 K-1 |
| Electrical resistivity: | 2 x 1015 [293 K] Ωm |
| Mass magnetic susceptibility: | -6.09 x 10-9(α); -6.09 x 10-9(β) kg-1m3 |
| Radi: | S6+ 29; S4+ 37; S2- 184; atomic 104; covalent 104: van der Waals 185 |
| Electronegativity: | 2.58 (Pauling); 2.44 (Allred); 6.22 eV (absolute) |
| Effective nuclear charge: | 5.45 (Slater); 5.48 (Clementi); 6.04 (Froese-Fischer) |
| Number of Isotopes (incl. nuclear isomers): | 11 |
| Isotope mass range: | 29 -> 39 |
Biological data
| Biological role: | Essential to all living things; part of the amino acids methionine and cysteine. |
|---|---|
| Toxicity | Elemental sulfur is not very toxic, but simple derivatives (SO2, H2S, etc.) are. |
| Toxic intake: | n.a. |
| Lethal intake: | for rabbits , as little as 175 mg Kg-1 has proved fatal. |
| Hazards: | Elemental sulfur appears to be relatively harmless unless ingested; ignited it emits highly toxic fumes of SO2. Sulfur dust is a human eye irritant. |
| Level in humans | |
| Blood: | 1800 mg dm-3 |
| Bone: | 500 - 2400 ppm |
| Liver: | 7000 - 12 000 ppm |
| Muscle: | 5000 - 11 000 ppm |
| Daily dietary intake: | 850 - 930 mg |
| Total mass of element in average [70 kg] person: |
140 g |
Geological data
| Minerals: | Native sulfur occurs naturally as deposits accociated with oil-bearing strata, as in Texas and Louisiana in the USA, and with gypsum (CaSO4, 2H2O) deposits in Sicily and Italy. Many sulfide and sulfate minerals are known. For sulfides consult antimony (stibnite), lead (galea), mercury (cinnabar), zinc (spharelite), etc. For sulfates see barium (barite), calcium (anhydrite, gypsum), magnesium (epsomite, kieserite), strontium (celestite), etc. The table below shows only those which are used as a source of sulfur. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mineral | Formula | Density | Hardness | Crystal apperance |
| Marcasite | FeS2 | 4.887 | 6 - 6.5 | orth., met. pale yellow |
| Native sulfur | S8 | 2.07 | 1.5 - 2.5 | orth., yellow pyramidal |
| Pyrite | FeS2 | 5.018 | 6 - 6.5 | cub., met. dark yellow |
| Chief ores: | native sulfur, pyrite; a lot of sulfur is recovered from the H2S of natural gas. |
|---|---|
| World production: | 54 x 106 tonnes/year |
| Producing areas: | USA (native sulfur), Spain. |
| Reserves: | 2.5 x 109 tonnes |
| Specimen: | available as powder and flake. Safe! |
| Abundances | |
|---|---|
| Sun: | 1.6 x 107(relative to H = 1 x 1012) |
| Earth's crust: | 260 ppm |
| Seawater | 870 ppm |
| Residence time: | 8 x 106 years |
| Classification: | accumulating |
| Oxidation state: | VI |
Source: Emsley, J. (1998) The Elements (3rd Edition)
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