Sulfur (S) – Periodic Table [Element Information & More]

Sulfur element (S) is in group 16 and period 3 of a periodic table. Sulfur is in the p-block and it is classified as an oxygen group element (chalcogens) on the periodic table.

There is a lot more information related to sulfur which is mentioned in the Information Table given below.

So let’s dive right into it!

Table of contents

• Sulfur element (Information Table)
• Sulfur element in Periodic table
• Facts about Sulfur
• Properties of Sulfur
• Uses of Sulfur

Sulfur Element (Information Table)

The important data related to sulfur element is given in the table below.

Appearance of sulfur	Lemon yellow
Atomic number of sulfur	16
Symbol of sulfur	S
Atomic mass of sulfur	32.06 u
Protons, Neutrons & Electrons in sulfur	Protons: 16, Neutrons: 16, Electrons: 16
State of sulfur (at STP)	Solid
Group number of sulfur in periodic table	16
Period number of sulfur in periodic table	3
Block of sulfur in periodic table	p-block
Category of sulfur	Nonmetals (Chalcogens)
Bohr model or Electrons per shell or Electrons arrangement in sulfur	2, 8, 6
Electron configuration of sulfur	[Ne] 3s2 3p4
Orbital diagram of sulfur
Valence electrons in sulfur	6
Electronegativity of sulfur (on pauling scale)	2.58
Atomic radius of sulfur (van der Waals radius)	180 picometers
Density of sulfur	1.96 g/cm3
1st ionization energy of sulfur	10.360 eV
Main isotope of sulfur	32S
Melting point of sulfur	388.3 K or 115.2 °C or 239.3 °F
Boiling point of sulfur	717.8 K or 444.6 °C or 832.3 °F
Crystal structure of sulfur	Orthorhombic

Also see: Interactive Periodic Table (It has rotating bohr models as well as many other details of all the 118 elements in a single periodic table).

Sulfur element in Periodic table

The Sulfur element (S) has the atomic number 16 and is located in group 16 and period 3. Sulfur is a nonmetal and it is classified as a chalcogen element.

Click on above elements in the periodic table to see their information.

Facts about sulfur

Here are a few interesting facts about sulfur element.

1. Sulfur is the 10^th most abundant element found from the earth’s crust.
2. Sulfur is an element that can be found in its pure form.
3. Sulfur is mostly found from the volcanoes.
4. Sulfur is also present in the human body.
5. The tears that come in your eyes while cutting onion is due to sulfur present in it.
6. The acid rain occurs due to an increase in SO₂ in the atmosphere.
7. 3% of the earth’s mass is because of the sulfur element present in the earth’s crust.
8. Sulfur is also present in meteorites.

Properties of sulfur

Here is a list of some physical properties and chemical properties of sulfur.

Physical properties of sulfur

• Sulfur is a nonmetal and it has a lemon yellow color.
• Pure sulfur is odorless, but the compounds of sulfur have a smell.
• H₂S (hydrogen sulfide) smells like rotten eggs and it is a poisonous gas.
• When solid sulfur is burnt, it turns into a reddish color and then it begins to melt.
• The density of sulfur is 1.96 g/cm³ and its atomic mass is 32.06 amu.
• The melting point and boiling point of sulfur are 115.2 °C and 444.6 °C respectively.

Chemical properties of sulfur

• Sulfur can form compounds with many other elements because it has variable oxidation states.
• The sulfur dioxide gas (SO₂) present in the atmosphere reacts with moisture and forms a sulfuric acid, which results in acid rain.
• The sulfur burns with a blue flame and it liberates sulfur dioxide gas (H₂S), which pollutes the earth’s atmosphere.
• Sulfur is insoluble in water but it is soluble in carbon disulfide.

Uses of sulfur

Here are some uses of the sulfur element.

• The main use of sulfur is in production of sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄).
• Sulfuric acid (which is a compound of sulfur) is also used in the manufacturing of fertilizers.
• Sulfur is used in the manufacturing of dyes and pigments.
• Sulfur is also used in making rubber and cement.
• Sulfur is also used in vehicle batteries.

External resources:

1. Sulfur General Fact Sheet. (2017, May 1). Sulfur General Fact Sheet. http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/sulfurgen.html
2. Sulfur – Energy Education. (n.d.). Sulfur – Energy Education. https://energyeducation.ca/encyclopedia/Sulfur
3. It’s Elemental – The Element Sulfur. (n.d.). It’s Elemental – the Element Sulfur. https://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele016.html
4. Periodic Table of Elements: Los Alamos National Laboratory. (n.d.). Periodic Table of Elements: Los Alamos National Laboratory. https://periodic.lanl.gov/16.shtml
5. Atomic Data for Sulfur (S ). (n.d.). Atomic Data for Sulfur (S ). https://physics.nist.gov/PhysRefData/Handbook/Tables/sulfurtable1.htm
6. Sulfur | S | ChemSpider. (n.d.). Sulfur | S | ChemSpider. http://www.chemspider.com/Chemical-Structure.4515054.html?rid=cd9af2a0-d80d-4ff8-ba9a-a34f853d151e&page_num=0
7. Sulfur Statistics and Information | U.S. Geological Survey. (n.d.). Sulfur Statistics and Information | U.S. Geological Survey. https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center/sulfur-statistics-and-information
8. Haynes, W. M. (Ed.). (2014, June 4). CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. https://doi.org/10.1201/b17118
9. Emsley, J. (2011). Nature’s Building Blocks: An A-Z Guide to the Elements. United Kingdom: OUP Oxford.
10. Sansonetti, J. E., & Martin, W. C. (2005, December). Handbook of Basic Atomic Spectroscopic Data. Journal of Physical and Chemical Reference Data, 34(4), 1559–2259. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1800011
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12. James A. M. & Lord M. P. (1992). Macmillan’s chemical and physical data. Macmillan.
13. Holden, et al. (2018, December 1). IUPAC Periodic Table of the Elements and Isotopes (IPTEI) for the Education Community (IUPAC Technical Report). Pure and Applied Chemistry, 90(12), 1833–2092. https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2015-0703
14. Allred, A. (1961, June). Electronegativity values from thermochemical data. Journal of Inorganic and Nuclear Chemistry, 17(3–4), 215–221. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-1902(61)80142-5
15. Kaye, G W.C., & Laby, T H. Tables of physical and chemical constants. 15th Edition. United States.
16. Zhang, Y., Evans, J. R. G., & Yang, S. (2011, January 11). Corrected Values for Boiling Points and Enthalpies of Vaporization of Elements in Handbooks. Journal of Chemical & Engineering Data, 56(2), 328–337. https://doi.org/10.1021/je1011086
17. Possolo, A., van der Veen, A. M. H., Meija, J., & Hibbert, D. B. (2018, January 4). Interpreting and propagating the uncertainty of the standard atomic weights (IUPAC Technical Report). Pure and Applied Chemistry, 90(2), 395–424. https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2016-0402