Precipitated sulfur

sulfur

chemical element, chalcophile element

Subclass of	polyatomic nonmetal, nonmetal, group 16
Part of	period 3, group 16
Get use	ecological crop protection
Discoverer or inventor	Antoine Lavoisier
Time of discovery anaa invention	1777
Element symbol	S
Chemical formula	S
Canonical SMILES	[S]
Electron configuration	[Ne] 3s² 3p⁴, 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁴
Unicode character	硫

Sulfur (American spelling den de preferred IUPAC name) anaa sulphur (Commonwealth spelling) be a chemical element; e get symbol S den atomic number 16. E be abundant, multivalent den nonmetallic. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms dey form cyclic octatomic molecules plus de chemical formula S₈. Elemental sulfur be a bright yellow, crystalline solid at room temperature.

Sulfur be de tenth most abundant element by mass insyd de universe den de fifth most common on Earth. Though dem sam times find am insyd pure, native form, sulfur on Earth usually dey occur as sulfide den sulfate minerals. Na e be abundant insyd native form, na dem know sulfur insyd ancient times, na dem mention am for ein uses insyd ancient India, ancient Greece, China, den ancient Egypt. Historically den insyd literature sulfur sanso be called brimstone, wich dey mean "burning stone". Dem dey produce almost all elemental sulfur as a byproduct of removing sulfur-containing contaminants from natural gas den petroleum. De greatest commercial use of de element be de production of sulfuric acid for sulfate den phosphate fertilizers, den oda chemical processes. Dem dey use sulfur insyd matches, insecticides, den fungicides. Chaw sulfur compounds be odoriferous, den de smells of odorized natural gas, skunk scent, bad breath, grapefruit, den garlic be secof organosulfur compounds. Hydrogen sulfide dey give de characteristic odor to rotting eggs den oda biological processes.

Sulfur be an essential element for all life, almost always insyd de form of organosulfur compounds anaa metal sulfides. Amino acids (two proteinogenic: cysteine den methionine, den chaw oda non-coded: cystine, taurine, etc.) den two vitamins (biotin den thiamine) be organosulfur compounds crucial for life. Chaw cofactors sanso dey contain sulfur, wey dey include glutathione, den iron–sulfur proteins. Disulfides, S–S bonds, confer mechanical strength den insolubility of de (among odas) protein keratin, dem find insyd outer skin, hair, den feathers. Sulfur be one of de core chemical elements den need for biochemical functioning wey e be an elemental macronutrient for all living organisms.

Read further

Sigel, Astrid; Freisinger, Eva; Sigel, Roland K.O., eds. (2020). Transition Metals and Sulfur: A Strong Relationship for Life. Guest Editors Martha E Sosa Torres and Peter M.H.Kroneck. Berlin/Boston: de Gruyter. pp. xlv+455. ISBN 978-3-11-058889-7.

External links

• Sulfur at The Periodic Table of Videos (University of Nottingham)
• Atomic Data for Sulfur, NIST Physical Measurement Laboratory
• Sulfur phase diagram Archived 23 February 2010 at the Wayback Machine, Introduction to Chemistry for Ages 13–17
• Crystalline, liquid and polymerization of sulfur on Vulcano Island, Italy
• Sulfur and its use as a pesticide
• The Sulphur Institute
• Nutrient Stewardship and The Sulphur Institute