Sulfur or sulphur (pronounced /ˈsʌlfər/ SUL-fər, see spelling below) is the chemical element A chemical element is a pure chemical substance consisting of one type of atom distinguished by its atomic number, which is the number of protons in its nucleus. The term is also used to refer to a pure chemical substance composed of atoms with the same number of protons. Common examples of elements are iron, copper, silver, gold, hydrogen, carbon, that has the atomic number In chemistry and physics, the atomic number is the number of protons found in the nucleus of an atom and therefore identical to the charge number of the nucleus. It is conventionally represented by the symbol Z. The atomic number uniquely identifies a chemical element. In an atom of neutral charge, the atomic number is also equal to the number of 16. It is denoted with the symbol S. It is an abundant, multivalent In chemistry, valence, also known as valency or valency number, is a measure of the number of chemical bonds formed by the atoms of a given element. Over the last century, the concept of valence evolved into a range of approaches for describing the chemical bond, including Lewis structures , valence bond theory (1927), molecular orbitals (1928), non-metal Nonmetal, or non-metal, is a term used in chemistry when classifying the chemical elements. 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, in its native form, is a bright yellow crystalline A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material, whose constituent atoms, molecules, or ions are arranged in an orderly repeating pattern extending in all three spatial dimensions. The scientific study of crystals and crystal formation is crystallography. The process of crystal formation via mechanisms of crystal growth is called solid. In nature Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. It ranges in scale from the subatomic to the cosmic, it can be found as the pure element and as sulfide A sulfide is an anion of sulfur in its lowest oxidation number of −2. Sulfide is also a slightly archaic term for thioethers, a common type of organosulfur compound that are well known for their bad odors and sulfate In inorganic chemistry, a sulfate is a salt of sulfuric acid minerals. It is an essential element Micronutrients are nutrients needed throughout life in small quantities. They are dietary minerals needed by the human body in very small quantities as opposed to macrominerals which are required in larger quantities. The Microminerals or trace elements include at least iron, cobalt, chromium, copper, iodine, manganese, selenium, zinc and for life and is found in two amino acids Amino acids are molecules containing an amine group, a carboxylic acid group and a side chain that varies between different amino acids. These molecules contain the key elements of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen. These molecules are particularly important in biochemistry, where this term refers to alpha-amino acids with the general formula: cysteine Cysteine is an α-amino acid with the chemical formula HO2CCH(NH2)CH2SH. It is a non-essential amino acid, which means that it is biosynthesized in humans. Its codons are UGU and UGC. The side chain on cysteine is thiol, which is nonpolar and thus cysteine is usually classified as a hydrophobic amino acid. The thiol side chain often participates and methionine Methionine is an α-amino acid with the chemical formula HO2CCH(NH2)CH2CH2SCH3. This essential amino acid is classified as nonpolar. Its commercial uses are primarily in fertilizers Fertilizers are soil amendments applied to promote plant growth; the main nutrients present in fertilizer are nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium and other nutrients ('micronutrients') are added in smaller amounts. Fertilizers are usually directly applied to soil, and also sprayed on leaves ('foliar feeding'), but it is also widely used in black gunpowder Gunpowder, also called black powder, is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate. Gunpowder can be made just using potassium nitrate and charcoal, but without the sulfur, the powder is not as strong. It burns rapidly, producing a volume of hot gas made up of carbon dioxide, water, and nitrogen, and a solid residue of potassium sulfide, matches A match is a consumable tool for lighting a fire in controlled circumstances. They are commonly sold by tobacconists and many other kinds of shops. Matches are usually sold in quantity, packaged in match boxes or matchbooks. A match is typically a wooden stick or stiff paper stick (in the case of matchbooks) coated at one end with a material which, insecticides An insecticide is a pesticide used against insects. They include ovicides and larvicides used against the eggs and larvae of insects respectively. Insecticides are used in agriculture, medicine, industry and the household. The use of insecticides is believed to be one of the major factors behind the increase in agricultural productivity in the 20 and fungicides Fungicides are chemical compounds or biological organisms used to kill or inhibit fungi or fungal spores[citation needed]. Fungi can cause serious damage in agriculture, resulting in critical losses of yield, quality and profit. Fungicides are used both in agriculture and to fight fungal infections in animals. Chemicals used to control oomycetes,. Elemental sulfur crystals are commonly sought after by mineral collectors for their brightly colored polyhedron A polyhedron is a geometric solid in three dimensions with flat faces and straight edges. The word polyhedron comes from the Classical Greek πολύεδρον, as poly- (stem of πολύς, "many") + -edron (form of έδρα, "base", "seat", or "face") shapes. In nonscientific contexts, it can also be referred to as brimstone.

Contents

History

Rough sulfur crystal Sulfur crystal from Valguarnera, Sicily Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, comprising an autonomous region of Italy. Minor islands around it, such as the Aeolian Islands, are part of Sicily. Its official name is Regione Autonoma Siciliana (English:Sicilian Autonomous Region).

Sulfur (Sanskrit Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism and Buddhism[note 1]. Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand. Sanskrit has been declared a classical language by the Government of India, गन्धक sulvari; Latin Latin or sometimes Roman is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Although often considered a dead language, in view of the fact that it has no native, fluent speakers, Latin continues to be taught in schools and has been, and currently is, used in the process of new word production in modern languages from many Sulphurium) was known in ancient times and is referred to in the Torah The term Torah , also known as the Pentateuch (Greek: penta [five] and teuchos [tool, vessel, book]), refers to the Five Books of Moses—the entirety of Judaism's founding legal and ethical religious texts. A "Sefer Torah" (סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה, "book of Torah") or Torah scroll is a copy of the Torah written on parchment (Genesis The Book of Genesis is the first book of the Hebrew Bible, and the first of five books of the Torah, called the Pentateuch in the Christian Old Testament).

English translations of the Bible The efforts of translating the Bible from its original languages into over 2,000 others have spanned more than two millennia. Partial translations of the Bible into languages of the English people can be traced back to the end of the 7th century, including translations into Old English and Middle English as well as the language we know today. Over commonly referred to burning sulfur as "brimstone", giving rise to the name of 'fire-and-brimstone Fire and brimstone are signs of God's wrath in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and the New Testament. In the Bible, they often appear in reference to the fate of the unfaithful. "Brimstone," possibly the ancient name for sulfur, evokes the acrid odor of volcanic activity. The term is also used, sometimes pejoratively, to describe a' sermons A sermon is an oration by a prophet or member of the clergy. Sermons address a Biblical, theological, religious, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law or behavior within both past and present contexts. Elements of preaching include exposition, exhortation and practical application, in which listeners are reminded of the fate of eternal damnation "Damnation" is the concept of condemnation by God resulting in a being's punishment that await the unbelieving and unrepentant. It is from this part of the Bible that Hell In many religious traditions, Hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife, often in the underworld. Religions with a linear divine history often depict Hell as endless . Religions with a cyclic history often depict Hell as an intermediary period between incarnations (for example, see Chinese Diyu) is implied to "smell of sulfur" (likely due to its association with volcanic activity). According to the Ebers Papyrus The Ebers Papyrus of about 1550 BC is among the most important medical papyri of ancient Egypt. It is also commonly called Papyrus Ebers . It is one of the two oldest preserved medical documents anywhere, the other main source being the Edwin Smith papyrus (around 1600 BC). Another important medical papyrus is the Brugsch Papyrus (around 1300 BC), a sulfur ointment was used in ancient Egypt Egypt (pronounced /ˈiːdʒɪpt/ ; Arabic: مصر‎ Miṣr, pronounced [misˤɾ] ( listen); Arabic: مِصْر Miṣr [ˈmisˤɾ]; Egyptian Arabic: مَصْر Maṣr [ˈmɑsˤɾ]; Coptic: Ⲭⲏⲙⲓ, kīmi; Egyptian: 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖 Kemet), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula to treat granular eyelids. Sulfur was used for fumigation in preclassical Greece Greece (English: /ˈɡriːs/ ; Greek: Ελλάδα, Elláda, IPA: [eˈlaða] ( listen); Ancient Greek: Ἑλλάς, Hellás, IPA: [helːás]), also known as Hellas and officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία, Ellīnikī́ Dīmokratía, IPA: [eliniˈci ðimokraˈtia]), is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on;[2] this is mentioned in the Odyssey The Odyssey is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is, in part, a sequel to the Iliad, the other work traditionally ascribed to Homer. The poem is fundamental to the modern Western canon. Indeed it is the second—the Iliad being the first—extant work of Western literature. It was probably composed near the end of.[3] Pliny the Elder Gaius Plinius Secundus , better known as Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher as well as naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire and personal friend of the emperor Vespasian. Spending most of his spare time studying, writing or investigating natural and geographic phenomena in the field, he wrote an discusses sulfur in book 35 of his Natural History Naturalis Historia is an encyclopedia published circa AD 77-79 by Pliny the Elder. It is one of the largest single works to have survived from the Roman empire to the modern day and purports to cover the entire field of ancient knowledge, based on the best authorities available to Pliny. He claims to be the only Roman ever to have undertaken such, saying that its best-known source is the island of Melos Milos , formerly known as Μῆλος – Melos, and before the Athenian massacre and recolonization in 416 BC as Μάλος (Doric Greek) – Malos, is a volcanic Greek island in the Sea of Crete, just south of the Aegean Sea. He also mentions its use for fumigation, medicine, and bleaching cloth.[4]

A natural form of sulfur known as shiliuhuang was known in China since the 6th century BC and found in Hanzhong Hanzhong is a municipality in the southwest corner of Shaanxi province, in central China. The population in 2006 was approximately 3.74 million, in a municipal territory of 27 246 square kilometres.[5] By the 3rd century, the Chinese discovered that sulfur could be extracted from pyrite The mineral pyrite, or iron pyrite, is an iron sulfide with the formula Fe .[5] Chinese Daoists were interested in sulfur's flammability and its reactivity with certain metals, yet its earliest practical uses were found in traditional Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese Medicine, also known as TCM, includes a range of traditional medicine practices originating in China. Although well accepted in the mainstream of medical care throughout East Asia, it is considered an alternative medical system in much of the Western world.[5] A Song Dynasty The Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a permanent standing navy. This dynasty also saw the first military treatise of 1044 AD described different formulas for Chinese black powder Gunpowder, also called black powder, is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate. Gunpowder can be made just using potassium nitrate and charcoal, but without the sulfur, the powder is not as strong. It burns rapidly, producing a volume of hot gas made up of carbon dioxide, water, and nitrogen, and a solid residue of potassium sulfide, which is a mixture of potassium nitrate Potassium nitrate is a chemical compound with the chemical formula K (KNO3), charcoal Charcoal is the dark grey residue consisting of impure carbon obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood, sugar, bone char, or other substances in the absence of oxygen . The resulting soft, brittle, lightweight, black, porous, and sulfur. Early alchemists Alchemy, derived from the Arabic word al-kimia , is both a philosophy and an ancient practice focused on the attempt to change base metals into gold, investigating the preparation of the "elixir of longevity", and achieving ultimate wisdom, involving the improvement of the alchemist as well as the making of several substances described gave sulfur its own alchemical symbol Alchemic symbols, originally devised as part of the protoscience of alchemy, were used to denote some elements and some compounds until the 18th century. Note that while notation like this was mostly standardized, style and symbol varied between alchemists, so this page lists the most common which was a triangle at the top of a cross.

In 1777, Antoine Lavoisier Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier ; (French pronunciation: [ɑ̃twan lɔʁɑ̃ də lavwazje]), the "father of modern chemistry", was a French nobleman prominent in the histories of chemistry and biology. He stated the first version of the law of conservation of mass, recognized and named oxygen (1778) and hydrogen (1783), abolished the helped convince the scientific community that sulfur was an element and not a compound. In 1867, sulfur was discovered in underground deposits in Louisiana Some Louisiana urban environments have a multicultural, multilingual heritage, being so strongly influenced by an admixture of 18th century French, Spanish and African cultures that they are considered to be somewhat exceptional in the U.S. Before the American influx and statehood at the beginning of the 19th century, the territory of current and Texas Houston is the largest city in Texas and the fourth-largest in the United States, while San Antonio is the second largest in the state and seventh largest in the United States. Dallas–Fort Worth and Greater Houston are the fourth and sixth largest United States metropolitan areas, respectively. Other major cities include El Paso and Austin—the. The overlying layer of earth was quicksand Quicksand is a colloid hydrogel consisting of fine granular matter , clay, and salt water, prohibiting ordinary mining operations; therefore, the Frasch process The Frasch process is a method to extract sulfur from underground deposits. Most of the world's sulfur was obtained this way until the late 20th century, when sulfur recovered from petroleum sources became more commonplace. As of 2002, all Frasch sulfur mines of note have ceased operation worldwide was developed.

Spelling and etymology

The element has traditionally been spelled sulphur in the United Kingdom (since the 14th century),[6] most of the Commonwealth The Commonwealth of Nations, often referred to as the Commonwealth and previously as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states, all but two of which were formerly part of the British Empire. The member states co-operate within a framework of common values and goals as outlined in the including India, Malaysia, South Africa, and Hong Kong, along with the rest of the Caribbean and Ireland, but sulfur in the United States, while both spellings are used in Canada and the Philippines. IUPAC adopted the spelling “sulfur” in 1990, as did the Royal Society of Chemistry Nomenclature Committee in 1992.[7] The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority for England and Wales recommended its use in 2000.[8]

In Latin, the word is variously written sulpur, sulphur, and sulfur (the Oxford Latin Dictionary lists the spellings in this order). It is an original Latin name and not a Classical Greek loan, so the ph variant does not denote the Greek letter φ (phi). Sulfur in Greek is thion (θείον), whence comes the prefix thio-. The simplification of the Latin words p or ph to an f appears to have taken place towards the end of the classical period.[9][10]

Characteristics

When burned, sulfur melts to a blood-red liquid and emits a blue flame which is best observed in the dark.

At room temperature, sulfur is a soft, bright-yellow solid. Elemental sulfur has only a faint odor, similar to that of matches. The strong "smell of sulfur" usually refers to the odor of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) or organosulfur compounds (see section "Organic compounds" below), e.g. from rotten egg, or of burning sulfur, which produces sulfur dioxide, the smell associated with burnt matches. The smell emanating from raw sulfur originates from a slow oxidation in the presence of air. Hydrogen sulfide is the principal odor of untreated sewage and is one of several unpleasant smelling sulfur-containing components of flatulence (along with sulfur-containing mercaptans).

Sulfur burns with a blue flame that emits sulfur dioxide, notable for its peculiar suffocating odor due to dissolving in the mucosa to form dilute sulfurous acid. Sulfur itself is insoluble in water, but soluble in carbon disulfide — and to a lesser extent in other non-polar organic solvents such as benzene and toluene. Common oxidation states of sulfur include −2, +2, +4 and +6. Sulfur forms stable compounds with all elements except the noble gases. Sulfur in the solid state ordinarily exists as cyclic crown-shaped S8 molecules.

The crystallography of sulfur is complex. Depending on the specific conditions, the sulfur allotropes form several distinct crystal structures, with rhombic and monoclinic S8 best known.

A noteworthy property of sulfur is that the viscosity in its molten state, unlike most other liquids, increases above temperatures of 200 °C (392 °F) due to the formation of polymers. The molten sulfur assumes a dark red color above this temperature. At higher temperatures, however, the viscosity is decreased as depolymerization occurs.

Amorphous or "plastic" sulfur can be produced through the rapid cooling of molten sulfur. X-ray crystallography studies show that the amorphous form may have a helical structure with eight atoms per turn. This form is metastable at room temperature and gradually reverts back to crystalline form. This process happens within a matter of hours to days but can be rapidly catalyzed.

Allotropes

The structure of the cyclooctasulfur molecule, S8. Main article: Allotropes of sulfur

Sulfur forms more than 30 solid allotropes, more than any other element.[11] Besides S8, several other rings are known.[12] Removing one atom from the crown gives S7, which is more deeply yellow than S8. HPLC analysis of "elemental sulfur" reveals an equilibrium mixture of mainly S8, but also S7 and small amounts of S6.[13] Larger rings have been prepared, including S12 and S18.[14][15] By contrast, sulfur's lighter neighbor oxygen only exists in two states of allotropic significance: O2 and O3. Selenium, the heavier analogue of sulfur, can form rings but is more often found as a polymer chain.

Isotopes

Main article: Isotopes of sulfur

Sulfur has 25 known isotopes, four of which are stable: 32S (95.02%), 33S (0.75%), 34S (4.21%), and 36S (0.02%). Other than 35S, the radioactive isotopes of sulfur are all short lived. 35S is formed from cosmic ray spallation of 40argon in the atmosphere. It has a half-life of 87 days.

When sulfide minerals are precipitated, isotopic equilibration among solids and liquid may cause small differences in the δS-34 values of co-genetic minerals. The differences between minerals can be used to estimate the temperature of equilibration. The δC-13 and δS-34 of coexisting carbonates and sulfides can be used to determine the pH and oxygen fugacity of the ore-bearing fluid during ore formation.

In most forest ecosystems, sulfate is derived mostly from the atmosphere; weathering of ore minerals and evaporites also contribute some sulfur. Sulfur with a distinctive isotopic composition has been used to identify pollution sources, and enriched sulfur has been added as a tracer in hydrologic studies. Differences in the natural abundances can also be used in systems where there is sufficient variation in the 34S of ecosystem components. Rocky Mountain lakes thought to be dominated by atmospheric sources of sulfate have been found to have different δS-34 values from lakes believed to be dominated by watershed sources of sulfate.

Occurrence

A man carrying sulfur blocks from Kawah Ijen, a volcano in East Java, Indonesia (photo 2009)

Elemental sulfur can be found near hot springs and volcanic regions in many parts of the world, especially along the Pacific Ring of Fire. Such volcanic deposits are currently mined in Indonesia, Chile, and Japan. Sicily is also famous for its sulfur mines. Sulfur deposits are polycrystalline, and the largest documented single crystal measured 22×16×11 cm3.[16][17]

Significant deposits of elemental sulfur also exist in salt domes along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, and in evaporites in eastern Europe and western Asia. The sulfur in these deposits is believed to come from the action of anaerobic bacteria on sulfate minerals, especially gypsum, although apparently native sulfur may be produced by geological processes alone, without the aid of living organisms (see below). However, fossil-based sulfur deposits from salt domes are the basis for commercial production in the United States, Poland, Russia, Turkmenistan, and Ukraine.

Sulfur recovered from hydrocarbons in Alberta, stockpiled for shipment in North Vancouver, B.C.

Sulfur production through hydrodesulfurization of oil, gas, and the Athabasca Oil Sands has produced a surplus — huge stockpiles of sulfur now exist throughout Alberta, Canada.

Common naturally occurring sulfur compounds include the sulfide minerals, such as pyrite (iron sulfide), cinnabar (mercury sulfide), galena (lead sulfide), sphalerite (zinc sulfide) and stibnite (antimony sulfide); and the sulfates, such as gypsum (calcium sulfate), alunite (potassium aluminium sulfate), and barite (barium sulfate). It occurs naturally in volcanic emissions, such as from hydrothermal vents, and from bacterial action on decaying sulfur-containing organic matter.

The distinctive colors of Jupiter's volcanic moon, Io, are from various forms of molten, solid and gaseous sulfur. There is also a dark area near the Lunar crater Aristarchus that may be a sulfur deposit.

Sulfur is present in many types of meteorites. Ordinary chondrites contain on average 2.1% sulfur, and carbonaceous chondrites may contain as much as 6.6%. Sulfur in meteorites is normally present as troilite (FeS), but other sulfides are found in some meteorites, and carbonaceous chondrites contain free sulfur, sulfates, and possibly other sulfur compounds.[18]

Creation

Stable sulfur is created in extremely large, extremely hot (over 2.5 billion kelvin) stars. It requires one atom of silicon plus one atom of helium.[19]

Extraction and production

Extraction from natural resources

Sulfur is extracted by mainly two processes: the Sicilian process and the Frasch process.

Sicilian process

The Sicilian process, which was first used in Sicily, was used in ancient times to get sulfur from rocks present in volcanic regions. In this process, the sulfur deposits are piled and stacked in brick kilns built on sloping hillsides, and with airspaces between them. Then powdered sulfur is put on top of the sulfur deposit and ignited. As the sulfur burns, the heat melts the sulfur deposits, causing the molten sulfur to flow down the sloping hillside. The molten sulfur can then be collected in wooden buckets.

The sulfur produced by the Sicilian process must be purified by distillation.

Frasch process

In this method, three concentric pipes are used: the outermost pipe contains superheated water, which melts the sulfur, and the innermost pipe is filled with hot compressed air, which serves to create foam and pressure. The resulting sulfur foam is then expelled through the middle pipe.[20]

The Frasch process produces sulfur with a 99.5% purity content, which needs no further purification.

Production from hydrogen sulfide

Chemically

The Claus process is used to extract elemental sulfur from hydrogen sulfide produced in hydrodesulfurization of petroleum or from natural gas.

Biologically

In the biological route, hydrogen sulfide (H2S) from natural gas or refinery gas is absorbed with a slight alkaline solution in a wet scrubber, or the sulfide is produced by biological sulfate reduction. In the subsequent process step, the dissolved sulfide is biologically converted to elemental sulfur. This solid sulfur is removed from the reactor. This process has been built on commercial scale. The main advantages of this process are:

  1. no use of expensive chemicals,
  2. the process is safe as the H2S is directly absorbed in an alkaline solution,
  3. no production of a polluted waste stream,
  4. re-usable sulfur is produced, and
  5. the process occurs under ambient conditions.

The biosulfur product is different from other processes in which sulfur is produced because the sulfur is hydrophilic. Next to straightforward reuses as source for sulfuric acid production, it can also be applied as sulfur fertilizer.[21]

Chemistry

This section requires expansion.

Sulfur is corrosive to metals. Its potential slightly exceeds those of acids. Sulfur-containing materials should be kept away from metals. Copper and copper-alloy metals are resistant to corrosion from sulfur, though.

Inorganic compounds

Sulfur powder.

When dissolved in water, hydrogen sulfide is acidic and will react with metals to form a series of metal sulfides. Natural metal sulfides are common, especially those of iron. Iron sulfide is called pyrite, the so-called fool's gold. Pyrite can show semiconductor properties.[22] Galena, a naturally occurring lead sulfide, was the first semiconductor discovered and found a use as a signal rectifier in the cat's whiskers of early crystal radios.

Polymeric sulfur nitride has metallic properties even though it does not contain any metal atoms. This compound also has unusual electrical and optical properties. This polymer can be made from tetrasulfur tetranitride S4N4.

Phosphorus sulfides are useful in synthesis. For example, P4S10 and its derivatives Lawesson's reagent and naphthalen-1,8-diyl 1,3,2,4-dithiadiphosphetane 2,4-disulfide are used to replace oxygen from some organic molecules with sulfur.

The sulfate anion, SO2−4

Organic compounds

An organic sulfur compound, dithiane.

Many of the unpleasant odors of organic matter are based on sulfur-containing compounds such as methyl mercaptan and dimethyl sulfide. Thiols and sulfides are used in the odoration of natural gas, notably, 2-methyl-2-propanethiol (t-butyl mercaptan). The odor of garlic and "skunk stink" are also caused by sulfur-containing organic compounds. Not all organic sulfur compounds smell unpleasant; for example, grapefruit mercaptan, a sulfur-containing monoterpenoid is responsible for the characteristic scent of grapefruit. It should be noted that this thiol is present in very low concentrations. In larger concentrations, the odor of this compound is that typical of all thiols, unpleasant.

Sulfur-containing organic compounds include the following (R, R', and R are organic groups such as CH3):

See also Category: sulfur compounds and organosulfur chemistry

Applications

This section requires expansion.

One of the direct uses of sulfur is in vulcanization of rubber, where polysulfides crosslink organic polymers. Sulfur is a component of gunpowder. It reacts directly with methane to give carbon disulfide, which is used to manufacture cellophane and rayon.[23]

Elemental sulfur is mainly used as a precursor to other chemicals. Approximately 85% (1989) is converted to sulfuric acid (H2SO4), which is of such prime importance to the world's economies that the production and consumption of sulfuric acid is an indicator of a nation's industrial development.[24] For example with 36.1 million metric tons in 2007, more sulfuric acid is produced in the United States every year than any other inorganic industrial chemical.[25] The principal use for the acid is the extraction of phosphate ores for the production of fertilizer manufacturing. Other applications of sulfuric acid include oil refining, wastewater processing, and mineral extraction.[23]

Sulfur compounds are also used in detergents, fungicides, dyestuffs, and agrichemicals. In silver-based photography sodium and ammonium thiosulfate are used as "fixing agents."

Sulfur is an ingredient in some acne treatments.[26][27]

An increasing application is as fertilizer. Standard sulfur is hydrophobic and therefore has to be covered with a surfactant by bacteria in the ground before it can be oxidized to sulfate. This makes it a slow release fertilizer, which cannot be taken up by the plants instantly, but has to be oxidized to sulfate over the growth season. Sulfur also improves the use efficiency of other essential plant nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus.[28] Biologically produced sulfur particles are naturally hydrophilic due to a biopolymer coating. This sulfur is therefore easier to disperse over the land (via spraying as a diluted slurry), and results in a faster release.

Sulfites, derived from burning sulfur, are heavily used to bleach paper. They are also used as preservatives in dried fruit.

Magnesium sulfate, better known as Epsom salts, can be used as a laxative, a bath additive, an exfoliant, a magnesium supplement for plants, or a desiccant.

Specialized applications

Sulfur is used as a light-generating medium in the rare lighting fixtures known as sulfur lamps.

Historical applications

In the late 18th century, furniture makers used molten sulfur to produce decorative inlays in their craft. Because of the sulfur dioxide produced during the process of melting sulfur, the craft of sulfur inlays was soon abandoned. Molten sulfur is sometimes still used for setting steel bolts into drilled concrete holes where high shock resistance is desired for floor-mounted equipment attachment points. Pure powdered sulfur was also used as a medicinal tonic and laxative. Sulfur was also used in baths for people who had seizures.

Fungicide and pesticide

Sulfur is one of the oldest fungicides and pesticides. Dusting sulfur, elemental sulfur in powdered form, is a common fungicide for grapes, strawberry, many vegetables and several other crops. It has a good efficacy against a wide range of powdery mildew diseases as well as black spot. In organic production, sulfur is the most important fungicide. It is the only fungicide used in organically farmed apple production against the main disease apple scab under colder conditions. Biosulfur (biologically produced elemental sulfur with hydrophilic characteristics) can be used well for these applications.

Standard-formulation dusting sulfur is applied to crops with a sulfur duster or from a dusting plane. Wettable sulfur is the commercial name for dusting sulfur formulated with additional ingredients to make it water miscible[29]. It has similar applications, and is used as a fungicide against mildew and other mold-related problems with plants and soil.

Sulfur is also used as an "organic" (i.e. "green") insecticide (actually an acaricide) against ticks and mites. A common method of use is to dust clothing or limbs with sulfur powder. Some livestock owners set out a sulfur salt block as a salt lick.[citation needed]

Biological role

Main article: Sulfur assimilation

See sulfur cycle for more on the inorganic and organic natural transformations of sulfur.

Sulfur is an essential component of all living cells.

Inorganic sulfur forms a part of iron-sulfur clusters, and sulfur is the bridging ligand in the CuA site of cytochrome c oxidase, a basic substance involved in utilization of oxygen by all aerobic life.

Sulfur may also serve as chemical food source for some primitive organisms: some forms of bacteria use hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in the place of water as the electron donor in a primitive photosynthesis-like process in which oxygen is the electron receptor. The photosynthetic green and purple sulfur bacteria and some chemolithotrophs use elemental oxygen to carry out such oxidization of hydrogen sulfide to produce elemental sulfur (So), oxidation state = 0. Primitive bacteria which live around deep ocean volcanic vents oxidize hydrogen sulfide in this way with oxygen: see giant tube worm for an example of large organisms (via bacteria) making metabolic use of hydrogen sulfide as food to be oxidized.

The so-called sulfur bacteria, by contrast, "breathe sulfate" instead of oxygen. They use sulfur as the electron acceptor, and reduce various oxidized sulfur compounds back into sulfide, often into hydrogen sulfide. They also can grow on a number of other partially oxidized sulfur compounds (e. g. thiosulfates, thionates, polysulfides, sulfites). The hydrogen sulfide produced by these bacteria is responsible for the smell of some intestinal gases and decomposition products.

Sulfur is a part of many bacterial defense molecules. For example, though sulfur is not a part of the lactam ring, it is a part of most beta lactam antibiotics, including the penicillins, cephalosporins, and monobactams.

Sulfur is absorbed by plants via the roots from soil as the sulfate ion and reduced to sulfide before it is incorporated into cysteine and other organic sulfur compounds (see sulfur assimilation for details of this process).

Sulfur is regarded as secondary nutrient although plant requirements for sulfur are equal to and sometimes exceed those for phosphorus. However sulfur is recognized as one of the major nutrients essential for plant growth, root nodule formation of legumes and plants protection mechanisms. Sulfur deficiency has become widespread in many countries in Europe.[30][31][32] Because atmospheric inputs of sulfur will continue to decrease, the deficit in the sulfur input/output is likely to increase, unless sulfur fertilizers are used.

In plants and animals the amino acids cysteine and methionine contain sulfur, as do all polypeptides, proteins, and enzymes which contain these amino acids. Homocysteine and taurine are other sulfur-containing acids which are similar in structure, but which are not coded for by DNA, and are not part of the primary structure of proteins. Glutathione is an important sulfur-containing tripeptide which plays a role in cells as a source of chemical reduction potential in the cell, through its sulfhydryl (-SH) moiety. Many important cellular enzymes use prosthetic groups ending with -SH moieties to handle reactions involving acyl-containing biochemicals: two common examples from basic metabolism are coenzyme A and alpha-lipoic acid.

Disulfide bonds (S-S bonds) formed between cysteine residues in peptide chains are very important in protein assembly and structure. These strong covalent bonds between peptide chains give proteins a great deal of extra toughness and resiliency. For example, the high strength of feathers and hair is in part due to their high content of S-S bonds and their high content of cysteine and sulfur (eggs are high in sulfur because large amounts of the element are necessary for feather formation). The high disulfide content of hair and feathers contributes to their indigestibility, and also their odor when burned.

Traditional medical role for elemental sulfur

In traditional medical skin treatment which predates modern era of scientific medicine, elemental sulfur has been used mainly as part of creams to alleviate various conditions such as psoriasis, eczema and acne. The mechanism of action is not known, although elemental sulfur does oxidize slowly to sulfurous acid, which in turn (through the action of sulfite) acts as a mild reducing and antibacterial agent.[citation needed]

Precautions

This section requires expansion.

Elemental sulfur is non-toxic, but it can burn as an oxidizer or a reducing agent, producing combustion products that are toxic, such as carbon disulfide, carbon oxysulfide, hydrogen sulfide, and sulfur dioxide.

Although sulfur dioxide is sufficiently safe to be used as a food additive in small amounts, at high concentrations it reacts with moisture to form sulfurous acid which in sufficient quantities may harm the lungs, eyes or other tissues. In organisms without lungs such as insects or plants, it otherwise prevents respiration.

Hydrogen sulfide is toxic. Although very pungent at first, it quickly deadens the sense of smell, so potential victims may be unaware of its presence until death or other symptoms occur.

Sulfur trioxide, a volatile liquid at standard temperature and pressure, is extremely dangerous, especially in contact with water, which reacts with it to form sulfuric acid with the generation of much heat. Sulfuric acid poses extreme hazards to many objects and substances.

Environmental impact

The burning of coal and/or petroleum by industry and power plants generates sulfur dioxide (SO2), which reacts with atmospheric water and oxygen to produce sulfuric acid (H2SO4) and sulfurous acid (H2SO3). These acids are components of acid rain, which lower the pH of soil and freshwater bodies, sometimes resulting in substantial damage to the environment and chemical weathering of statues and structures. Fuel standards increasingly require sulfur to be extracted from fossil fuels to prevent the formation of acid rain. This extracted sulfur is then refined and represents a large portion of sulfur production. In coal fired power plants, the flue gases are sometimes purified. In more modern power plants that use syngas the sulfur is extracted before the gas is burned.

See also

References

  1. ^ Magnetic susceptibility of the elements and inorganic compounds, in Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. CRC press. 2000. ISBN 0849304814. http://www-d0.fnal.gov/hardware/cal/lvps_info/engineering/elementmagn.pdf.
  2. ^ Archaeomineralogy, George Rapp, 2nd ed., Springer: 2009, ISBN 978-3-540-78593-4 p. 242.
  3. ^ Odyssey, book 22, lines 480–495.
  4. ^ Pliny the Elder on science and technology, John F. Healy, Oxford University Press, 1999, ISBN 0198146876 pp. 247–249.
  5. ^ a b c Zhang Yunming (1986). "The History of Science Society: Ancient Chinese Sulfur Manufacturing Processes". Isis 77: 487. doi:10.1086/354207.
  6. ^ Sulphur or Sulfur?, accessed March 30, 2010
  7. ^ Spelling of Sulfur (PDF)
  8. ^ Worldwidewords, 9 December 2000.
  9. ^ Vanderkrogt.net.
  10. ^ Kelly DP (1995) Sulfur and its Doppelgänger. Arch. Microbiol. 163: 157-158.
  11. ^ Steudel, Ralf; Eckert, Bodo (2003). "Solid Sulfur Allotropes Sulfur Allotropes". Topics in Current Chemistry 230: 1–80. doi:10.1007/b12110.
  12. ^ Steudel, R. (1982). "Homocyclic Sulfur Molecules". Topics Curr. Chem. 102: 149.
  13. ^ Tebbe, F. N.; Wasserman, E.; Peet, W. G.; Vatvars, A. and Hayman, A. C. (1982). "Composition of Elemental Sulfur in Solution: Equilibrium of S6, S7, and S8 at Ambient Temperatures". J. Am. Chem. Soc. 104: 4971. doi:10.1021/ja00382a050.
  14. ^ Beat Meyer (1964). "Solid Allotropes of Sulfur". Chem. Rev. 64 (4): 429–451. doi:10.1021/cr60230a004.
  15. ^ Beat Meyer (1976). "Elemental sulfur". Chem. Rev. 76: 367–388. doi:10.1021/cr60301a003.
  16. ^ Rickwood, P. C. (1981). "The largest crystals". American Mineralogist 66: 885–907. http://www.minsocam.org/ammin/AM66/AM66_885.pdf.
  17. ^ "The giant crystal project site". http://giantcrystals.strahlen.org/europe/perticara.htm. Retrieved 2009-06-06.
  18. ^ B. Mason (1962). Meteorites. New York: John Wiley & Sons. p. 160.
  19. ^ A.G.W. Cameron (June 1957). "Stellar Evolution, Nuclear Astrophysics, and Nucleogenesis". CRL-41. "http://www.fas.org/sgp/eprint/CRL-41.pdf"
  20. ^ Botsch, Walter (2001). "Chemiker, Techniker, Unternehmer: Zum 150. Geburtstag von Hermann Frasch" (in German). Chemie in unserer Zeit 35 (5): 324–331. doi:10.1002/1521-3781(200110)35:5<324::AID-CIUZ324>3.0.CO;2-9.
  21. ^ Zessen, E. van, et al. (2004). "Application of THIOPAQ(TM) biosulphur in agriculture". Proceedings of Sulphur 2004, Barcelona (Spain), 24 - 27 Oct. 57 - 68.
  22. ^ Nyle Steiner (22 February 1). "Iron Pyrites Negative Resistance Oscillator". http://home.earthlink.net/~lenyr/iposc.htm. Retrieved 2007-08-15.
  23. ^ a b Nehb, Wolfgang; Vydra, Karel (2006). "Sulfur". Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. Wiley-VCH Verlag. doi:10.1002/14356007.a25_507.pub2.
  24. ^ Sulfuric Acid Growth
  25. ^ Ober, Joyce A.. "Mineral Yearbook 2007: Sulfur". United States Geological Survey. http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/sulfur/myb1-2007-sulfu.pdf.
  26. ^ Lin, A; Reimer, R; Carter, D (1988). "Sulfur revisited†". Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology 18 (3): 553. doi:10.1016/S0190-9622(88)70079-1. PMID 2450900.
  27. ^ Kaminsky, Ana (2003). "Less Common Methods to Treat Acne". Dermatology 206 (1): 68. doi:10.1159/000067824. PMID 12566807.
  28. ^ Sulfur as a fertilizer
  29. ^ Every, Richard L., et al. (1968-08-20). "Method for Preparation of Wettable Sulfur". http://www.freepatentsonline.com/3398227.pdf. Retrieved 2010-05-20.
  30. ^ Zhao, F (1999). "Sulphur Assimilation and Effects on Yield and Quality of Wheat". Journal of Cereal Science 30: 1. doi:10.1006/jcrs.1998.0241.
  31. ^ Blake-Kalff, M.M.A. (2000). Plant and Soil 225: 95. doi:10.1023/A:1026503812267.
  32. ^ Ceccotti, S. P. (1996). "Plant nutrient sulphur-a review of nutrient balance, environmental impact and fertilizers". Fertilizer Research 43: 117. doi:10.1007/BF00747690.

External links

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Periodic table
H He
Li Be B C N O F Ne
Na Mg Al Si P S Cl Ar
K Ca Sc Ti V Cr Mn Fe Co Ni Cu Zn Ga Ge As Se Br Kr
Rb Sr Y Zr Nb Mo Tc Ru Rh Pd Ag Cd In Sn Sb Te I Xe
Cs Ba La Ce Pr Nd Pm Sm Eu Gd Tb Dy Ho Er Tm Yb Lu Hf Ta W Re Os Ir Pt Au Hg Tl Pb Bi Po At Rn
Fr Ra Ac Th Pa U Np Pu Am Cm Bk Cf Es Fm Md No Lr Rf Db Sg Bh Hs Mt Ds Rg Cn Uut Uuq Uup Uuh Uus Uuo
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Studies have shown that eating sulphur-rich foods and applying sulphur creams to the scalp may help promote hair growth.

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How do you get rid of the sulfur smell after using a sulfur soap?
Q. I have Keratosis Pilaris. I bought a soap that contains sulfur because its supposed to help. After using the soap, I smell like a bit a sulfur and the smell does not disappear. How do I get rid of the smell so that I don't smell bad?
Asked by unknown - Thu Aug 6 14:27:50 2009 - - 2 Answers - 1 Comments

A. Well, I watched Meryl Streep talking about her new movie, 'Julie and Julia'. She learned during filming that to get rid of garlic and onion smells off your fingertips to rub and wash with plain salt! Try rubbing salt in with your hands dry, then rubbing them again with salt with wet fingertips. See if either works.
Answered by gpaltrow2001 - Thu Aug 6 14:45:42 2009

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