ELEMENTS

      SULFUR

 ·     Symbol: S

·     Atomic Weight: 32.064

·  Group:16

·  Period:3

·  Melting Point: 388.36 K (115.21°C or 239.38°F)

·  Boiling Point: 717.75 K (444.60°C or 832.28°F)

What is Sulfur
·   Sulfur is a non-metal and element that is odorless and tasteless,Sulfur, the tenth most abundant element in the universe, has been known since ancient times. Sometime around 1777, Antoine Lavoisier convinced the rest of the scientific community that sulfur was an element.Sulfur is a nonmetallic element (about 0.06% of the earth's crust 20 km deep) in a pure crystalline form. Sulfur is said to have been used by caveman to cleanse his blood, also using its characteristic yellow as coloring for its cave painting and due to its combustibility used it for a variety of purposes.

   Properties

·   The element is bright yellow in color, soft, and abundant

·  sulfur is a solid with only a faint odor, similar to that of matches.

·  It is insoluble in water, but soluble in carbon sulfide. It burns with a blue flame, oxidizing to sulfur dioxide.

   Source

· Sulfur deposits are found naturally in areas around hot springs and in    volcanic regions.

·  It is also widely found in nature as iron pyrites (iron sulfide), galena (lead sulfide), gypsum (calcium sulfate), Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) and many other minerals.

·  Sulfur makes up only 0.05% of the Earth's crust, but it is easy to get.

·   However, miners do not have to go underground to get it. They make the sulfur come to them by a clever arrangement of three pipes within pipes.

  Uses

·  Sulfur's main commercial use is as a reactant in the production of sulfuric acid

·  Sulfur is also used in the vulcanization of natural rubber, as a fungicide, in black gunpowder.

·   Sulfur is a vital element for all forms of life. It is a component of two amino acids, cysteine and  methinks.

·  Elemental sulfur is used in black gunpowder, matches, and fireworks; in the vulcanization of rubber.

The Importance of Sulfur
According to the Plant and Soil Sciences e Library, sulfur, one of the most important elements in nature, plays a crucial role in the existence of all living organisms. Sulfur is a key component of certain proteins that make life possible. It is also one of the most abundant elements in the universe.

 Allot ropes

Sulfur forms over 30 solid allot ropes, more than any other element. Besides S₈, several other rings are known.^[14] Removing one atom from the crown gives S₇, which is more deeply yellow than S₈. HP analysis of "elemental sulfur" reveals an equilibrium mixture of mainly S₈, but with S₇ and small amounts of S₆.^[15] Larger rings have been prepared, including S₁₂ and S_18.

Amorphous or "plastic" sulfur is produced by rapid cooling of molten sulfur—for example, by pouring it into cold water. X-ray crystallography studies show that the amorphous form may have a helical structure with eight atoms per turn. The long coiled polymeric molecules make the brownish substance elastic, and in bulk this form has the feel of crude rubber.


_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 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 part of the Bible that Hell is implied to "smell of sulfur" (likely due to its association with volcanic activity).

References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfur

http://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/16/sulfur

http://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele016.html

http://www.lookchem.com/Periodic-Table/Sulfur/

http://science.jrank.org/pages/6596/Sulfur-Where-sulfur-found.html