Sulfur, it’s a yellow solid non-metal brittle to the touch.
Even though it’s common, the amount in the crust isn’t much.
It’s bad to breathe when in compounds that are gases,
That’s why it’s been said to avoid it to the masses.

General Info

Locations in Minerals

Sulfur Dioxide

Other Sulfur Compounds

Sulfur's Liquid State

Sulfur Isotopes

General Info

Sulfur is a brittle non-metal, and is one of the only solid forms of non-metals (at atmospheric pressure and room temperature). It is part of the Oxygen Family, and has four oxidation numbers: -2, +2, +4, and +6. Because of this it can bond with many types of elements, even elements from the same family. In a solid form, it usually is in a crystalline structure, such as monoclinic structures. The origin of Sulfur’s name is debatable, for in Latin, Sulfur is “Sulphurium” or in Sanskrit, Sulfur is “Sulvere.” Its atomic mass is about 32 AMU, and Isotope 32-S is Sulfur’s most common isotope. Sulfur has many melting points because of its poor conduction of heat as most non-metals possess. Its melting point is projected at either 107°C, 113°C, or 119.2°C; but its boiling point is about 445°C.

Locations in Minerals

Sulfur is found in many minerals, common minerals that could be viewed as a beauty or as an annoyance on a journey to find a greater treasure. A mineral that would be an annoyance to some would be pyrite, which when people were mining for gold could give them a false hope. Such a mineral is made when certain numbers of iron and sulfur make an ionic bond. Another mineral that Sulfur is part of is gypsum, where Calcium sulfate is hydrated. This mineral creates many crystalline patterns, some being like rocky rose petals, and other formations making crystals taller than a person and stretching across the walls of caves. Another mineral is, while naturally occurring is now part of an industrial purpose, which is Copper sulfate. It is a type of salt that can be used as a fungicide or pretty much get rid of things that may be unappealing in foods and drinks, such as fungus (hence fungicide) or algae and other blemishes.

Sulfur Dioxide

Sulfur Dioxide is a toxic compound produced by burning the easily flammable sulfur or when coal/oil is burned. This gas easily dissolves in water, so it could become part of rain, and therefore making it acid rain. The effects of sulfur dioxide cause the nose and lungs to be burned, and cause other severe affects towards overall breathing and the lungs. These effects could be life threatening, and prolonged exposure to this compound (and others) to show changes in their airways, which is why it is considered life threatening if there are one-hundred sulfur dioxide molecules for every one million. Studies have shown child exposure has led to difficulty breathing deeply and more hospital visits as an adult for repertory illnesses and wheezing fits versus other adults who have not had such exposure. This is why it’s recommended for families living in industrial areas to keep an eye on air quality bulletins to ensure the safety of their children.

Other Sulfur Compounds

Sulfur has many oxidation numbers, and because of this it can form many different compounds. These oxidation numbers, -2, +2, +4, and +6 allow it to bond with many other elements, one basic one would be Hydrogen sulfide. Hydrogen sulfide is a covalently bonded molecule that is the commonly recognized for its rotten egg smell. However, this molecule could cause death in large quantities, so it’s advised that people do not commonly breathe in Hydrogen sulfide. Another compound with Sulfur would be Sulfur hexafluoride, which has been recognized for behaving in the opposite manner to Helium, meaning when you breathe a small amount it makes your voice deeper. This is because of its high density, versus Helium which has a low density, and this affects your voice because the sound waves you produce can travel faster in lower densities than higher densities. The rule of thumb is that the faster sound moves, the higher it will sound.

Sulfur’s Liquid State

Sulfur is commonly found as S₈, so as a liquid it is about as viscous as water. However, at temperatures over 130°C, Sulfur becomes more viscous and develops a dark red color, which is an odd quality for an element because elements usually become less viscous as they gain heat. This quality is gained because Sulfur at high temperatures starts to form long strands of Sulfur, so what was originally S₈ could become S₃₀₀₀₀₀. The size of these strands, called gamma sulfur by scientists, makes it difficult for Sulfur to freely move. This is why when people mine Sulfur in places such as Texas and Louisiana must be careful about the temperature of Sulfur, because they mine it by melting it and bringing it to the surface, called the Frasch Process. Before it gains viscosity, liquid Sulfur has a shade of yellow with a tint of brown, commonly called a straw color.

Isotopes

There are at least eighteen known isotopes of Sulfur, some are naturally occurring while others were artificially created. Only four of these isotopes are stable, with Isotope 32-S being the most abundant. Isotope 35-S is one of the naturally occurring radioactive isotopes of Sulfur, but possesses the highest half-life for a radioactive Sulfur isotope, which is 87 days. Other isotopes are created in a nuclear reactor, where neutrons are randomly colliding and could eventually be combined with atoms to become a new isotope. Such creations, however, don’t usually last so long (or at least with sulfur). Some isotopes are used to trace its natural process in water to see how Sulfur behaves in water. Specifically, this would be the process of precipitation, and it is followed by Isotope 35-S, which rarely occurs in nature. It is only made when cosmic rays interfere with the nucleus of an Argon atom, and causes a nuclear reaction to make this radioactive isotope.

Viscosity (viscous): How much a liquid resists flow (having high viscosity)

Frasch Process: A type of mining where people first melt the mineral they’re getting and then bringing it up to a surface through a tube.

Oxidation Numbers: The defined charge of a certain ion, each number representing how many electrons are needed to be taken away or gained in order to complete a ring. Each electron is worth -1 in this case, and taking one away will actually give you +1.

Isotopes: Forms of the same element, with the same amount of protons but not the same amount of neutrons, resulting in different characteristics such as radioactivity.

Half-life: How long something takes for half of a radioactive element to decay.

Monoclinic Crystalline Structure: A type of crystal structure that forms that are usually different forms of three dimensional quadrilaterals.