Sulfur

 

Sulfur

Chemical formula	S
Atomic Number	16
OTP appearance	yellow solid
Molar Mass(g/mol)	32
Density(g/cc)	2
Melting Point(°C)	116
Boiling Point(°C)	444
NFPA 704	1 1 0

Uses

Primary

• Feedstock for sulfuric acid

Secondary

• Pharmacopia: Topical antibiotic
• Component of blackpowder

Natural Occurrence

• Elemental sulfur does occur natively. in sulfur domes, hydrothermal spring, and volcanos.
• Iron pyrite and Chalcopyrite are natural sources of sulfur as well.
• An egg yolk contains .000016g (16μg) of sulfur

Hazards

• Burning sulfur produces sulfur di- and tri- oxides, which are toxic and irritating

Production

Extraction

Native Sulfur

Sulfur does occur naturally in volcanic areas, particularly around fumaroles, such as exist at Kawah Ijen and and Gunung Welirang in Java, Indonesia.

Sulfide Minerals

it is also practical to extract elemental sulfur from some sulfide minerals such as iron pyrite, marcasite and cinnabar by applying heat in the absence of oxygen or carbon:

FeS₂

{

→

540°C}

FeS + S // Marcasite and pyrite

HgS → Hg + S // Cinnabar

Synthesis

Clause

Hydrogen sulfide can be easily converted to pure sulfur via the Clause Process:

2 H₂S + 3 O₂ → 2 SO₂ + 2 H₂O

4 H₂S + 2 SO₂

{H₂O

→

}

3 S₂ + 4 H₂O // bubble both gasses through water, or mix them with a bit of steam

Purification

sulfur is soluble in warm toluene, benzene and all types of dimethyl benzene.

See Also

• Sulfuric acid
• Abandoned sulfur mine in Milos, Greece.
• Crater Sulfur Mine (37°12'44.72"N, 117°41'17.88"W)
• Kawah Ijen sulfur mine in Indonesia (37°12'44.72"N 117°41'17.88"W)
• Paliorema Sulfur Mine near Milos, Greece (36°41'39.34"N, 24°32'39.11"E)