Which group is sulphur in

Group General Properties and Reactions The oxygen family, also called the chalcogens, consists of the elements found in Group 16 of the periodic table and is considered among the main group elements. It consists of the elements oxygen, sulfur, selenium, tellurium and polonium. The group 16 elements are intimately related to life. Without oxygen, animals would be unable to breathe and would consequently die. Oxygen is not only important to supporting life, but plays an important role in many other chemical reactions.

This ozone layer forms a shield which protects living organisms on the Earth's surface from this damaging, high-energy light. The release of CFCs chlorofluorocarbons into the atmosphere produces chlorine radicals which are damaging to the ozone layer; for this reason, these substances are being phased out.

See the Molecules pages on dichlorodifluoromethane for more information. This is unusual for the solid form of a liquid substance, and one reason why if you're sailing in a ship in the North Atlantic, it's a good idea to keep a lookout for icebergs. These "anomalous" properties of water are in part a result of the large differences in electronegativity between oxygen and hydrogen — the oxygen-hydrogen bond is extremely polar, and water molecules attract each other much more strongly than most other small molecules do, as a results of these hydrogen bonds.

See the entry on hydrogen for more on hydrogen bonds. Sulfur is a yellow nonmetal, and is found in a variety of forms, ranging from a yellow powder to more crystalline structures. The name is derived from the ancient names for the element, either the Sanskrit word sulvere , the Latin word sulfurium , or the Arabic word sufra. It is found in the Earth's crust at a concentration of ppm, making it the 17th most abundant element.

Sulfur can be mined in its elemental form near volcanoes and hot springs, and is mined from salt domes along the Gulf of Mexico, Poland, and Russia where it was produced by the action of bacteria on sulfate-containing minerals. Sulfur has been known in its elemental form since ancient times often under the name "brimstone".

It is a yellow nonmetal, and is found in a number of allotropic forms, including orthorhombic sulfur, monoclinic sulfur, etc. It forms rings containing anywhere from 4 to 20 atoms of sulfur; S 8 is the most common form. When heated to high temperatures, these rings break open, and join to form long chains; the resulting material is extremely viscous, and forms a rubbery solid called "plastic sulfur.

Sulfur is present in proteins, in the form of the amino acids cysteine and methionine; on average milligrams of sulfur are consumed every day in this manner. Probably the most important compound of sulfur is sulfuric acid, H 2 SO 4 , which is the industrial chemical produced in the largest amounts million tons in Sulfuric acid is used in the production of phosphates for fertilizers, the removal of rust from iron, the production of explosives, paints, paper, detergents, dyes, in lead-acid car batteries, and many other uses.

Sulfuric acid has a high affinity for water, and is used as a dehydrating agent. This can be easily demonstrated: applying concentrated sulfuric acid to paper causes the paper to become black and charred, as if it had been burned; sulfuric acid also removes water from sugar, leaving behind a solid mass of carbon.

A common laboratory mistake is to mix sulfuric acid and water by adding water to the concentrated sulfuric acid: the mixing of sulfuric acid and water can produce enough heat to boil the water, splattering the water and acid all over the incautious chemist.

It is a standing rule in all chemistry labs that, when diluting acids, always add the acid to the water, never the water to the acid. Since sulfur is found in two amino acids cysteine and methionine , some sulfur is present in fossil fuels such as coal. When the coal is burned, the sulfur is oxidized to form sulfur dioxide, SO 2 , and sulfur trioxide, SO 3 ; these gases react with moisture in the air, producing sulfurous acid, H 2 SO 3 , and sulfuric acid, H 2 SO 4 , respectively.

This leads to the formation of acid rain, which is a serious environmental pollutant in some areas. Many compounds containing sulfur are bad news for the nose. Hydrogen sulfide, H 2 S, is produced during the breakdown of organic matter by bacteria in the absence of oxygen; it is found is swamps, natural gas, volcanic gases, and many other sources. Not only does sulfur have twice the density of water, it is also insoluble in water. On the other hand, sulfur is highly soluble in carbon disulfide and slightly soluble in many common solvents.

Sulfur can also vary in color and blackens upon boiling due to carbonaceous impurities. Even as little as 0. Most sulfur is recovered directly as the element from underground deposits by injecting super-heated water and piping out molten sulfur sulfur melts at o C. Compared to other elements, sulfur has the most allotropes.

While the S 8 ring is the most common allotrope, there are 6 other structures with up to 20 sulfur atoms per ring. However, sulfur has more tendency to catenate t he linkage of atoms of the same element into longer chains. Here are the values of the single and double bond enthalpies:. So, in sulfur, single bonds are favored and catenation is easier than in oxygen compounds.

What happens when the solid sulfur melts? When suddenly cooled, long chain molecules are formed in the plastic sulfur which behave as rubber. Plastic sulfur transform into rhombic sulfur over time. There are many different stable sulfur oxides, but the two that are commonly found are sulfur dioxide and sulfur trioxide. Sulfur dioxide is a commonly found oxide of sulfur.

It is a colorless, pungent, and nonflammable gas. It has a density of 2. Sulfur trioxide is another one of the commonly found oxides of sulfur. It is a colorless liquid with a melting point of Concentrated sulfuric acid used in forward reaction to remove H and O atoms.

H 2 SO 3 is a diprotic acid that acts as a weak acid in both steps and H 2 SO 4 is also a diprotic acid but acts as a strong acid in the first step and a weak acid in the second step.

Boiling elemental sulfur in a solution of sodium sulfite yields thiosulfate. Not only are thiosulfates important in photographic processing, but they are also common analytical reagents used with iodine like in the following two reactions.

Sulfur can be mined by the Frasch process. This process has made sulfur a high purity up to The Frasch process is based on the fact that sulfur has a comparatively low melting point. The process forces In this process, superheated water is forced down the outermost of three concentric pipes. Compressed air is pumped down the center tube, and a mixture of elemental sulfur, hot water, and air comes up the middle pipe. Most sulfur mined by Frasch process is used in industry for the manufacture of sulfuric acid.

Sulfuric acid, the most abundantly produced chemical in the United States, is manufactured by the contact process.

Sulfuric acid can act as a strong acid, a dehydrating agent, and an oxidizing agent. Its applications use these properties. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Share Flipboard Email. Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph. Chemistry Expert.

Helmenstine holds a Ph. She has taught science courses at the high school, college, and graduate levels. Facebook Facebook Twitter Twitter.