Is sulfur a metal or a nonmetal?
Sulfur is a non–metal with the symbol S and atomic number 16. On the basis of their general physical and chemical properties, every element in the periodic table can be termed either a metal or a nonmetal. Sulfur, bromine, and helium are typical not metals. Metal: copper (left); metalloid: arsenic (center); and non-metal: sulfur (right).
Why is sulfur a nonmetal?
Why sulfur is a nonmetal? Sulphur is a non-metal because it is consistent with three physical properties listed for non-metals. It is a poor conductor of heat and electricity, because electrons are not free to move. An element that becomes an ion must have free room for its electrons to move and to create an electric charge.
How does sulfur react with metal?
- Formation of undesirable sulphides which promotes granular weaknesses and cracks in steel during solidification.
- S lowers the melting point and intergranular strength and cohesion of steel.
- S contributes to the brittleness of steel and when it exists in sulphide phase it acts as stress raiser in steel products.
What are the common uses of sulfur?
Who knew?
- Sulfur makes up almost 3 percent of the Earth ‘s mass, according to Chemicool. ...
- Sulfur (as sulfur dioxide) has been used to preserve wine for millennia, and remains an ingredient in wine today, according to the Practical Winery & Vineyard Journal.
- It’s not clear where the name “sulfur” comes from.
Overview
Sulfur (or sulphur in British English) is a chemical element with the symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundant, multivalent and nonmetallic. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with a chemical formula S8. Elemental sulfur is a bright yellow, crystalline solid at room temperature.
Characteristics
Sulfur forms several polyatomic molecules. The best-known allotrope is octasulfur, cyclo-S8. The point group of cyclo-S8 is D4d and its dipole moment is 0 D. Octasulfur is a soft, bright-yellow solid that is odorless, but impure samples have an odor similar to that of matches. It melts at 115.21 °C (239.38 °F), boils at 444.6 °C (832.3 °F) and sublimes more or less between 20 °C (68 °F) and 50 …
Compounds
Common oxidation states of sulfur range from −2 to +6. Sulfur forms stable compounds with all elements except the noble gases.
Sulfur forms over 30 solid allotropes, more than any other element. Besides S8, several other rings are known. Removing one atom from the crown gives S7, which is more of a deep yellow than the S8. HPLC analysis of "elemental sulfur" …
History
Being abundantly available in native form, sulfur was known in ancient times and is referred to in the Torah (Genesis). English translations of the Christian Bible commonly referred to burning sulfur as "brimstone", giving rise to the term "fire-and-brimstone" sermons, in which listeners are reminded of the fate of eternal damnation that await the unbelieving and unrepentant. It is from this pa…
Production
Sulfur may be found by itself and historically was usually obtained in this form; pyrite has also been a source of sulfur. In volcanic regions in Sicily, in ancient times, it was found on the surface of the Earth, and the "Sicilian process" was used: sulfur deposits were piled and stacked in brick kilns built on sloping hillsides, with airspaces between them. Then, some sulfur was pulverized, spr…
Applications
Elemental sulfur is used mainly as a precursor to other chemicals. Approximately 85% (1989) is converted to sulfuric acid (H2SO4):
2 S + 3 O2 + 2 H2O → 2 H2SO4
In 2010, the United States produced more sulfuric acid than any other inorganic industrial chemical. The principal use for the acid is the extraction of phosphat…
Biological role
Sulfur is an essential component of all living cells. It is the eighth most abundant element in the human body by weight, about equal in abundance to potassium, and slightly greater than sodium and chlorine. A 70 kg (150 lb) human body contains about 140 grams of sulfur.
In the 1880s, while studying Beggiatoa (a bacterium living in a sulfur rich enviro…
Precautions
Elemental sulfur is non-toxic when one touches it, however it isn't harmless. Inhaling sulfur dust, or its contacting to eyes and/or skin may cause irritation. Ingesting sulfur isn't safe too. There are reports of cases where people deliberately consumed sulfur (as a folk remedy) that led to life-threatening metabolic acidosis.