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Sulfur 16S32.064
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 orthorhombic (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 for sulfuric acid.
Materials properties
| Density: |
2070 (α), 1957 (β) kg/m-3 [293 K]; 1819 [liquid at 393 K] |
| Melting point: |
386.0 (α); 392.2 (β); 380.0 (γ) °K |
| Boiling point: |
717.824 °K |
| Critical temperature: |
1314 °K |
| Critical pressure: |
20 700 °K |
| Molar volume: |
15.49 cm3 |
| Thermal conductivity: |
0.269 (α) [300 K] Wm-1K-1 |
| Coefficient of linear thermal expansion: |
74.33 x 10-6 K-1 |
| Electrical resistivity: |
2 x 1015 [293 K] Wm |
| Mass magnetic susceptibility: |
-6.09 x 10-9(α); -5.83 x 10-9 (β)kg-1m3 |
| Radii: |
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 |
| Issotope mass range: |
29 -> 39 |
Biological data
| Biological role: |
Essential to all living things; part of the amino acids methionine and cysteine. |
| Toxicity |
|
| 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 p.p.m. |
| Liver: |
7000 - 12 000 p.p.m. |
| Muscle: |
5000 - 11 000 p.p.m. |
| Daily dietary intake : |
850 - 930 mg |
| Total mass of element in average [70 kg] person: |
140 g |
Crystal data
| Crystal structure, (cell dimentions / pm), space group |
α-S8 orthorhombic (a = 1046.46, b=1286.60, c=2448.60),Fddd β-S8 monoclinic (a=1102, b=1096, c=1090, β=96.7° ), P21/c γ-S8 monoclinic (a=857, b=1305, c=823, β=112° 54' ), P2/c ε-S8rhombohedral (a=646, α=115° 18') R3 In addition to the above ring forms there are also S7, S9-12, S18 and S20 rings. Plastic sulfur is long chains of Sn also known in several forms χ,ψ,φ,μ and ω. T(α->β) = 366.7 K |
| X-ray diffraction: mass absorption coefficients (µ/ρ) /cm2g-1 : |
CuKα 89.1 MoKα 9.55 |
| Neutron scattering length, b/10-12cm: |
0.2847 |
| Thermal neutron capture cross-section, σa/barns: |
0.53 |
Geological data
| Minerals: |
Native sulfur Occurs naturally as deposits
associated 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 (galena), 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 ore: |
native sulfur, pyrite; a lot of sulfur is recovered from the H2 S of natural gas. |
| World production: |
54 x 106 tonnes/year |
| Main mining 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 1023) |
| Earth's crust: |
260 p.p.m. |
| Seawater: |
870 p.p.m. |
| Residence time: |
8 x 106 years |
| Classification: |
accumulating |
| Oxidation state: |
VI |
Other sizes and specifications on request
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